Google pays up to settle voice-activated ad targeting claims

Google has agreed to pay US$68m (A$98m) to settle a six-year class-action lawsuit alleging its voice assistant listened in on American users to deliver targeted advertising.

First filed in July 2019 by five Google users, the case hinged on whether Google devices, including Google Home, Pixel smartphones, and smart displays such as the Nest Hub, secretly recorded and shared private conversations when the voice assistant was accidentally triggered.

While Google has not admitted wrongdoing or liability and denies violating privacy laws or improperly recording or sharing users’ conversations, the technology giant accepted a preliminary settlement filed last week to avoid further litigation costs, court documents show.