Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Google Over Allegations of Unauthorized Data Access via Gemini

Google is facing a class action lawsuit in California, alleging that its smart assistant, Gemini, was employed to monitor users' communications in Gmail, Chat, and Meet without their knowledge or consent.

The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in federal court in San Jose, claims that Alphabet's Google unit covertly activated the Gemini tool last October across its applications, granting access to users' private data, including message content and email attachments.

While Google offers an option to disable Gemini, the lawsuit asserts that navigating the privacy settings to do so is complex and not user-friendly. The filing suggests that leaving the tool active allows Google to "gain complete access to users' private communication history and exploit it."

This lawsuit is grounded in California's Privacy Protection Act of 1967, which prohibits eavesdropping or the secret recording of communications without the consent of all parties involved.

As of now, Google has not provided an official response to the allegations, and the case is anticipated to ignite significant discussions regarding the practices of technology companies in utilizing artificial intelligence and accessing personal data.