Google to Pay $68 Million to Settle Google Assistant Privacy Lawsuit

By Elias Schisgall

Google agreed to pay $68 million to settle class action claims that its Google Assistant recorded individuals without their consent or knowledge.

The unopposed motion for preliminary settlement was filed Friday night by the plaintiffs in California federal court. It still requires approval by U.S. District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman.

Google didn't admit wrongdoing in the settlement, which states that the company "equally believed in the strength of its defenses" over the course of the six-year litigation. The plaintiffs wrote that the settlement would "avoid significant risk, expense, and delay related to trial and appeal and assure recovery for the Settlement Classes."

The settlement covers users who bought or used a Google Assistant since May 18, 2016.

The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Google and its parent company Alphabet were first hit with the class action in July 2019. The complaint alleged that Google Assistant, a voice-activated assistant program, recorded conversations even when individuals did not say the hot words "Okay, Google" or "Hey, Google," or press a button to begin recording.

The complaint alleged that Google Assistant made recordings whenever an individual said something that resembled a hot word, and would preserve the recording for training purposes even if the company determined that no hot word had been said. Those recordings violated California law, the complaint alleged.

Google denied the allegations and had filed for summary judgment.

Apple settled a similar lawsuit related to its Siri assistant for $95 million early last year.

Write to Elias Schisgall at elias.schisgall@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 26, 2026 11:15 ET (16:15 GMT)