Google to Pay $68M to Settle Claims Its Voice Assistant Spied on Users

Google has agreed to pay $68 million to resolve allegations that its voice assistant unlawfully monitored users, including for the purpose of delivering targeted advertising, according to a Reuters report.

As part of the class-action settlement, Google did not admit to any wrongdoing. The lawsuit accused the company of the “unlawful and intentional interception and recording of individuals’ confidential communications without their consent,” as well as the unauthorised sharing of those recordings with third parties. The complaint further alleged that data obtained from these recordings was improperly shared for targeted advertising and other uses.

The claims focused on so-called “false accepts,” a situation in which Google Assistant allegedly activated and recorded conversations even when users had not intentionally triggered it with a wake word. TechAmerica.ai reached out to Google for comment on the settlement.

Concerns that consumer devices may be listening inappropriately have circulated among Americans for years, and those suspicions have increasingly translated into legal action. In 2021, Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle similar claims that its Siri voice assistant recorded users’ conversations without being deliberately activated.

Google, like many large technology companies, has faced a series of privacy-related lawsuits in recent years. In 2024, the company agreed to pay $1.4 billion to the state of Texas to settle two cases alleging violations of the state’s data privacy laws.