Google accused of using Gemini to spy on users

Google is facing a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of using its Gemini AI assistant to secretly monitor users’ private communications, Bloomberg reports.

According to the complaint, Google allegedly enabled Gemini across Gmail, Chat, and Meet without user consent, granting the system access to private data such as personal emails, instant messages, and video calls.

“In the past, users of Gmail, Chat, and Meet were given the option to turn on Google’s artificial intelligence program. But in October, the Alphabet Inc. unit ‘secretly’ activated Gemini for all those applications, enabling it to collect private data without the users’ knowledge or consent,” the filing states.

The report notes that disabling Gemini requires users to dig deep into Google’s privacy settings. Otherwise, the AI assistant could “access and exploit the entire recorded history of its users’ private communications, including every email and attachment sent and received in their Gmail accounts.”

The lawsuit argues that Google’s alleged actions violate California’s 1967 Invasion of Privacy Act, which prohibits the secret interception or recording of confidential communications without the consent of all parties involved.