Have you ever whispered something and then got an ad about it on your phone later? You’re not crazy. This happens. Google settled a lawsuit this week that alleged Google Assistant recorded private audio even when users did not activate it by saying “Hey Google” or “OK Google.” Google did not admit wrongdoing but it also did not fight the case. Instead, it agreed to pay $68 million to make it go away. The lawsuit claimed the assistant sometimes activated on its own, captured fragments of private conversations, and that those recordings were then used to inform targeted advertising. Google says these were “false activations,” not intentional surveillance. Plaintiffs say the ads that followed their private conversations told a different story. The takeaway isn’t that your phone is always listening because that was not proven in court. Google settled so nothing could be proven or disproven. The takeaway is that the tech industry has quietly normalized collecting far more data than users meaningfully consent to and only draws a line when lawyers and judges get involved. The post They’re Listening! appeared first on Redacted.