Google Agrees to $68 Million Settlement: Could You Get Paid for Secret Listening?
Own a Google device? You might be owed money from the company's new multimillion dollar lawsuit
If you’ve ever felt like your phone was listening to you, you might be right. In a recent lawsuit, prosecutors claimed Google had been using its voice assistant to secretly listen to people’s conversations through their phones. The suit has since resulted in a preliminary $68 million settlement. To learn more about the case, including how you could get money from it, keep scrolling.
What to know about the Google class action lawsuit
On Monday, January 26, it was announced that Google had agreed to a $68 million settlement to end the class-action lawsuit filed against them. This news comes after several Google device owners claimed that Google’s voice assistant—which is only supposed to work when someone says “Hey Google”—listened and recorded conversations without their consent or knowledge.
According to CBS News, some of those recorded conversations contained information about financial issues, employment and other sensitive topics that could harm users if it were released.
As of publication, Google has denied the allegations made against them, but has opted to settle to avoid future litigation. The company is now waiting for approval on the settlement, which will be decided by U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman.
If it is approved, Google will begin to pay the $68 million to consumers and attorneys working on the case.
This case is similar to the Apple class-action lawsuit, which claimed that Siri eavesdropped on people’s private conversations. It resulted in a $95 million settlement, which is being paid to Apple users this month.
How to get money from the Google class action lawsuit
Since the Google class action lawsuit is still awaiting court approval, there is no official word on when money will be distributed to consumers.
Several outlets, including the BBC, have reported that, if the settlement is approved, people who owned a Google device (such as a Google Pixel Smartphone, speaker, laptop, tablet, earphones or Chromecast with Google TV) between May 18, 2016 and December 16, 2022 are eligible for a settlement.
There is no word on how much money consumers could receive, but it’s believed that the plaintiffs’ attorneys will receive some $22 million in legal fees, leaving $46 million to be distributed to consumers.
“No money or benefits are available now because the case is not resolved. There is no guarantee that money or benefits ever will be obtained,” reads the Google Assistant Private litigation site. “If they are, you will be notified about how to ask for a share. If the litigation is resolved, and you have not excluded yourself pursuant to this Notice, you may not be given another opportunity to do so.”
The site also notes that the courts don’t know how long it will be until they have a verdict on the case.
For those who have questions about the case, the site recommends reaching out to the lawyers representing the consumers on the case: Erin Green Comite, at (860) 537-5537 or ecomite@scott-scott.com, and Christian Levis, at (914) 997-0500 or clevis@lowey.com. Consumers can also visit the site’s official litigation page here.
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