Google LLC, a major US technology company owned by Alphabet Inc., has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit for $68 million over allegations that its voice-activated assistant recorded users’ private conversations without consent and shared information with third parties. The proposed settlement was filed on 23 January 2026 in federal court in San Jose, California, and awaits judicial approval.
The lawsuit alleged that Google Assistant, a voice-activated feature built into smartphones and other devices, sometimes activated unintentionally when it misinterpreted ordinary speech as trigger phrases such as “Hey Google” or “Ok Google.” These unintentional activations, known as false accepts, were claimed to have resulted in private conversations being recorded and transmitted to Google’s servers without user consent. Plaintiffs argued that recordings obtained in this way were then used to deliver targeted advertising.
Under the terms of the proposed settlement, Google will establish a $68 million fund to compensate eligible class members. Individuals who purchased Google-branded devices or otherwise experienced false activations dating back to May 18, 2016, may be eligible to file claims once the settlement receives final court approval. A portion of the fund may be allocated to attorneys’ fees and administrative costs.
Google has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the allegations and said it agreed to settle to avoid the expense, uncertainty, and distraction of continued litigation. The company’s statement, issued in response to media queries following the filing, reaffirmed its position that privacy protections are in place for users of its services.
The case reflects litigation trends in the technology sector involving voice-activated assistants and consumer privacy. In a similar lawsuit, Apple Inc., a US technology company, agreed to a proposed $95 million settlement in December 2024 over claims that its Siri voice assistant recorded private conversations without consent under comparable circumstances.
If approved by the presiding judge, the Google settlement will resolve the class-action claims without a determination of liability and without a trial. Eligible claimants may be entitled to payment amounts that depend on factors such as the number of devices associated with their accounts and whether recordings were inadvertently captured.
The settlement highlights ongoing concerns about privacy and data handling in devices and services that rely on “always on” listening features. While voice-activated technologies are designed to improve convenience and responsiveness, lawsuits of this kind raise questions about the safeguards used to prevent unintentional data collection and the transparency of user consent mechanisms.