Google ‘Surreptitiously’ Collects Consumers’ Voiceprints: Class Action

“Unbeknownst to users,” Google, through Google Assistant, “surreptitiously collects, uses, and stores" voiceprints of each individual who speaks to an enabled device, in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, alleged a class action Friday (docket 5:22-cv-06398) in U.S. District Court for Northern California in San Jose. “Google does not disclose its biometric data collection to its users, nor does it ask users to acknowledge, let alone consent to, these practices,” said the complaint. Google’s misconduct “also was deceptive, unjust, and unlawful” because it deceived consumers “into providing valuable biometric information, which Google used for its own benefit, without consent or compensation, in violation of California law,” said the complaint. “Given Google’s ongoing deception on concealment of this practice,” plaintiff Ryan Segal believes “additional information supporting his claim will be revealed after a reasonable opportunity for discovery,” it said. Google didn’t comment Wednesday.