Aug 27: Google is paying $68M because its speakers recorded families who never said "Hey Google"

The deadline to file a claim in Google's $68 million Google Assistant privacy settlement hit Thursday, August 27, 2026. Users alleged the Assistant switched itself on without anyone intentionally triggering it — so-called "False Accept" events — recording private conversations inside people's homes and handing the audio to third-party human reviewers. It covers years of Google-made smart-home devices and phones sitting in family kitchens and bedrooms.