Google to pay $68 million over allegations its voice assistant eavesdropped on users

[Nathan]

If you had the feeling that your phone was eavesdropping- you were right.

Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged the technology giant's voice assistant had illegally recorded users and then shared their private conversations with advertisers.

The preliminary settlement, filed January 23 in federal court in San Jose, California, requires approval by U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman.

The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed by several Google device owners who claimed their conversations had been recorded without their knowledge. While Google stated that its voice assistant would only register people's speech when consumers uttered an activation phrase, such as "Hey Google," the consumers claimed that their devices recorded them even without using such language.

Some claimants alleged the Google devices recorded private conversations about financial issues, personal decisions and employment.

If the settlement is approved, Google will place $68 million in a fund that will pay all consumer claims, as well as court-approved attorneys' fees and other costs. Google to pay $68 million over allegations its voice assistant eavesdropped on users

 

[Sunkist]

I almost never use phone, but noticed something odd in an email (computer) this morning.. I was having a conversation with an out-of-state family member, and when I clicked to see the reply there was 'AI Overview' of the conversation at the top of the page.. what the heck?!?!

 

[Nathan]

The agreement is similar to an Apple class-action lawsuit that alleged its Siri voice assistant had eavesdropped on private or confidential conversations. Apple device owners are this month receiving payments from the $95 million settlement, ranging from about $8 to $40 per person.

Edit: I'm sure that Alexa users have heard about eavesdropping as well- no surprises there.

https://cybernews.com/privacy/amazon-alexa-class-action-lawsuit/

 

[hollydolly]

The agreement is similar to an Apple class-action lawsuit that alleged its Siri voice assistant had eavesdropped on private or confidential conversations. Apple device owners are this month receiving payments from the $95 million settlement, ranging from about $8 to $40 per person.

Edit: I'm sure that Alexa users have heard about eavesdropping as well- no surprises there.

https://cybernews.com/privacy/amazon-alexa-class-action-lawsuit/

what I want to know is how did they know?... I mean all of us could be being recorded... if a few are then the likelihood is that we all are... so how do we know to be able to sue ?

 

[Sunkist]

what I want to know is how did they know?... I mean all of us could be being recorded... if a few are then the likelihood is that we all are... so how do we know to be able to sue ?

I'm not too familiar with Apple, but awhile back when there was a class action lawsuit about a streaming service, customers automatically received info by email.

 

[IrishEyes]

No wonder they want data bases in every state and then we have to pay THEIR electric so they can store what they
secretly record off customers? Snarky comment I know, but this is worse than ridiculous.

 

[hollydolly]

I'm not too familiar with Apple, but awhile back when there was a class action lawsuit about a streaming service, customers automatically received info by email.

I never did..and I have both a Mac desktop and an Iphone....

 

[Jackie23]

$68 mllion.....probably a drop in the bucket compared to what they made by doing this.

 

[ohioboy]

They need to criminally indict under the Criminal Organizational liability laws. Money settlements mean nothing to them.

 

[Sunkist]

I never did..and I have both a Mac desktop and an Iphone....

I think it was tubi.tv, but could have been a different one- collecting people's info without their consent.

 

[Sunkist]

I almost never use phone, but noticed something odd in an email (computer) this morning.. I was having a conversation with an out-of-state family member, and when I clicked to see the reply there was 'AI Overview' of the conversation at the top of the page.. what the heck?!?!

I don't want to put TMI out here, but this was what it said:


AI Overview

• Victor asked CA if they ever burned incense, recalling a childhood memory.
• CA denied ever using incense and warned Victor against "just starting to remember" things.
• Victor clarified that long-term memory is unreliable and the memory could be from any time.

By Gemini; there may be mistakes.

 

[RambleTamble]

If the settlement is approved, Google will place $68 million in a fund that will pay all consumer claims, as well as court-approved attorneys' fees and other costs.

They probably made more than that in profits from selling our personal information.

 

[MarciKS]

What I want to know is what are these advertisers supposedly doing with our personal info or these eavesdropped conversations? I don't understand what the big frickin deal is?

Are they using it to scam people or are they just setting up advertising targeted for our needs? And if it's the latter I don't understand why that's such a problem? I'd rather see online ads for crap I want or need than for say ED medication.

 

[hollydolly]

What I want to know is what are these advertisers supposedly doing with our personal info or these eavesdropped conversations? I don't understand what the big frickin deal is?

Are they using it to scam people or are they just setting up advertising targeted for our needs? And if it's the latter I don't understand why that's such a problem? I'd rather see online ads for crap I want or need than for say ED medication.

I don't know I wonder the same. I don't even get any ADs..if it's for advertising sake.... so it's all wasted on me if they're recording my conversations..lol... they'll die of boredom

 

[josephine]

I’ve always felt like my phone is watching me, and it’s kinda creepy. For example, when I was chatting with a friend on a messaging app about wanting to buy a pet massager, the next time I opened Amazon, it immediately recommended the exact thing we just talked about, even though I had never searched for it on Amazon before

 

[Nathan]

I almost never use phone, but noticed something odd in an email (computer) this morning.. I was having a conversation with an out-of-state family member, and when I clicked to see the reply there was 'AI Overview' of the conversation at the top of the page.. what the heck?!?!

Nothing really insidious, AI is a big deal with tech companies like Google. Google is just "dying" for users to try Gemeni, I just ignore the effort.

When I Google search, the AI Overview is usually displayed(see screenshot below):

 

[Sunkist]

Nothing really insidious, AI is a big deal with tech companies like Google. Google is just "dying" for users to try Gemeni, I just ignore the effort.

When I Google search, the AI Overview is usually displayed(see screenshot below):

View attachment 483853

But it's still creepy.. especially when it 'replays' conversations in email.

 

[Nathan]

But it's still creepy.. especially when it 'replays' conversations in email.

Is that in Gmail? I'll look for the 'replay' feature, it might actually be handy.

 

[Sunkist]

Is that in Gmail? I'll look for the 'replay' feature, it might actually be handy.

Yes, it's Gmail.

I didn't mean a specific feature, I just meant it was at the top of the page when I clicked the email to read a response from the person I'd been emailing.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Finally, someone that will pay attention to what I say!

 

[DebraMae]

The fine is a drop in the bucket. It should be way higher.

 

[Jules]

The only ones who’ll collect will be the lawyers.

 

[Jules]

What I want to know is what are these advertisers supposedly doing with our personal info or these eavesdropped conversations? I don't understand what the big frickin deal is?

The profile they’re building​ ​

After a few months, they have:​

Your shopping patterns (what you buy, when, how much you spend) Your health concerns (conditions you’re researching, medications you’re comparing) Your relationship status (dating apps, wedding planning sites, divorce lawyers) Your political views (news sites, petition sites, donation pages) Your financial situation (loan comparison sites, credit card apps)

That’s why you google knee pain once and suddenly every site you visit shows you knee brace ads for six months.​

From Kim Komando’s newsletter, Thursday, Feb 29th. This was about using FB, Google, etc, as an easy way to sign into a new site.

 

[MarciKS]

I must be the only person on the planet that isn't bothered by it and doesn't see an issue with it. Thanks for the explanation though @Jules. I appreciate it.

 

[MoBeans]

Unfortunately that's how all those electronic personal assistants work. They listen for a wake-up phrase like "Hey Siri" and then send your request back to the mother ship for processing. What else they listen to and who has what access to your conversations is kind of a black box. It's all based on trust me bro. Some companies are better about user privacy than others. Google, Amazon and Meta are not among them. So far Apple seems to be a tad less evil.

Of course that's nothing compared to what your future AI girlfriend / boyfriend / best friend is poised to do.