By Michaela Gordoni
Google will pay a $68 million settlement after admitting that its voice assistant recorded users’ private conversations.
The voice assistant apparently recorded up to millions of users’ conversations after the voice assistant was accidentally activated by everyday speech it mistook for wake words like “Hey Google,” Relevant reported. These are called “false accepts.”
The recordings were sent to advertisers to create targeted ads, The BBC added.
The preliminary settlement was filed as a class action suit on Friday in San Jose, California. Google claimed the recordings were unintentional but chose to settle rather than go through an exhaustive trial. In 2024, Apple faced an identical lawsuit and paid out $95 million to plaintiffs.
Google allows users to choose whether they want their voice interactions recorded and says the function is always turned off by default unless a user turns it on.
Related: Google Settles $391.5 Million Multi-State Lawsuit Over Location Privacy Case
Google support says to turn the voice and audio activity on an android phone or tablet off or on, you can “open your device’s Settings app and then Google and then Manage your Google account > Tap Data & privacy > Under ‘History settings,’ tap Web & App Activity >Next to ‘Include voice and audio activity,’ check or uncheck the box.”
The settlement covers users who bought Google devices or were subjected to false accepts since May 18, 2016, The Guardian reported. The plaintiffs’ lawyers may seek up to one-third of the settlement fund for their legal fees.
SC Media noted that the settlement would allow consumers to submit claims for a total of three devices.
Web Pro News reporter Emma Rogers wrote that the recording issues started in 2019, when a Belgian investigation revealed that human contractors that Google hired were transcribing audio that Google Assistant recorded.
“These weren’t just user commands; they included deeply personal and identifiable information, such as people discussing medical conditions, revealing their home addresses, and even audio of domestic disputes,” she said. “The leak demonstrated in stark terms that the interaction was not solely between a user and an algorithm, but involved a hidden human element.”
At the time, Google announced it would temporarily stop performing human audio review.
The sealed settlement shields Google from exposing any potentially damaging documents and testimony. It also prevents a potential case from being used as a precedent for other cases.
“Ultimately, while Google has managed to resolve this specific legal challenge without a public trial, the broader debate over voice assistant privacy is far from over,” said Rogers. “The settlement may quiet one courtroom, but it amplifies the ongoing conversation in regulatory bodies and among consumers about the acceptable trade-offs between convenience and confidentiality.”
Google’s latest misstep is a reminder to be extra cautious about your digital privacy.
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