Google will settle its Assistant spying lawsuit for $68 million

Google could owe you some money, now that it’s moving to settle a class-action lawsuit over how it handled recordings captured when its devices were activated by something other than Google Assistant’s actual trigger word, “Ok Google.” German outlet VRT NWS’s 2019 report exposed the issue, and court filings from last Friday say the proposed settlement number is $68 million, as reported previously by Reuters.

The lawsuit accuses Google of “unlawful and intentional recording of individuals’ confidential communications without their consent,” during these “False Accepts.” VRT NWS reported that human workers who analyzed Assistant audio clips recalled hearing personal information and private conversations in instances where Google Assistant was triggered inadvertently or by someone who wasn’t supposed to be using it, like children.

The plaintiffs’ accusations had also included a claim that “information gleaned from these recordings was wrongly transmitted to third parties for targeted advertising and for other purposes,” which Google denied, and in the proposed settlement, it denies any allegations of wrongdoing.

If the settlement is approved, it will be paid out to people whose Google accounts were associated with at least one device with Google Assistant pre-installed as early as 2016, including Pixel phones, Google Home devices, Google smart speakers and smart displays, Nest Hub, and Nest Hub Max. Customers who purchased one of these devices will be eligible for a recovery payout of $18 to $56. Anyone who used Google Assistant or lived in a household with an Assistant device that illegally recorded their conversations will also be eligible for a payout of $2 to $10.