Google pays $68 million to settle Google Assistant eavesdropping lawsuit
The lawsuit claimed Google Assistant recorded people without "Hey Google". Google did not admit wrongdoing.
According to Reuters, Google agreed to pay $68 million to settle a class action lawsuit claiming Google Assistant illegally recorded users' voices.
What was the case about?
- It centred on "false accepts": times when Assistant thought you had said "Hey Google" and started recording, even though you had not
- The suit claimed the data was wrongly shared with third parties for targeted advertising and other purposes
- Google did not admit any wrongdoing
Not the first
- In 2021 Apple paid $95 million in a similar case over Siri
- In 2025 Google paid the state of Texas $1.4 billion over privacy claims
Protect yourself
On an Android phone, go to Settings → Google → Google Assistant and check "Hey Google & Voice Match". If you don't use it, turn it off.
Founder and editor-in-chief of Kurd Developers. Phone and tech news on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
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