Core Insights - Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is identified as one of the 12 most profitable NASDAQ stocks to buy, with a strong buy rating from 30 analysts and a one-year average share price target of $351.37, indicating a 4% upside potential as of January 30 [1] Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Roth Capital reiterated a buy rating for Alphabet Inc. on January 27, raising its price target to $365 from $310 ahead of the Q4 FY25 earnings call scheduled for February 4, with expectations that the company will exceed consensus estimates [2] - KeyBanc also increased its price target for Alphabet Inc. to $360 from $330 while maintaining an overweight rating, citing potential gains from the AI product cycle in 2026 [4] Upcoming Opportunities - Roth Capital highlighted several upcoming opportunities for Alphabet Inc. in the first half of 2026, including TPU partnerships, Waymo launches, user growth for the Gemini App, and potential news related to Gemini 4.0 [3] Legal Settlement - Alphabet Inc. agreed to a $68 million settlement regarding a lawsuit that accused it of recording private conversations through Google Assistant, with the settlement filed in a federal court in California on January 23 [5] Company Overview - Alphabet Inc. owns several major platforms, including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube, and is recognized for its pioneering work in cloud computing, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence [6]

Core Viewpoint - Alphabet's Google is facing significant legal challenges with two class-action lawsuits totaling over $200 million, while simultaneously striving for AI leadership amid increasing regulatory scrutiny from the European Union [1][2]. Group 1: Lawsuits and Settlements - Google has reached a preliminary agreement to settle two lawsuits: $68 million for claims related to Google Assistant and $135 million for allegations regarding improper data collection by its Android operating system [2][5]. - The Google Assistant settlement addresses claims that the service recorded private conversations without user consent, with plaintiffs alleging that conversations were monitored even without activation phrases [6][7]. - Individuals who purchased Google devices from 2016 until the court's approval date will be eligible for monetary reimbursement under the class action lawsuit [8]. Group 2: Regulatory Environment - The European Commission has initiated new proceedings against Google under the Digital Markets Act, focusing on compliance with interoperability rules and access to search-related data for third-party providers [3][4]. - These legal actions highlight the global scale of data-handling concerns facing Google, indicating a broader regulatory environment impacting the tech giant [4]. Group 3: Market Reaction - Despite the ongoing lawsuits, Alphabet's stock has increased by 7% this month, reflecting investor confidence or market resilience in the face of legal challenges [5].

Google agreed to two settlements within the span of a week that would see the tech giant pay out over $200 million. Smartphone users accused Google of programming its Android operating system to collect their cellular data without permission in one class action lawsuit, while others claimed that its voice-activated assistant spied inappropriately on them in a separate class action lawsuit. Both lawsuits were filed in federal court in the Northern District of California and require a judge's approval befor ...

据报道，目前谷歌的和解协议已提交至加利福尼亚州圣何塞联邦法院，一旦获得法官批准，2016年5月 18日以后购买过谷歌设备或遭遇"误触发"情形的用户将获得赔偿。 电子设备语音助手"监听"问题长期困扰美国用户，南都N视频记者梳理发现，此前苹果公司也曾遭遇类 似指控。2025年初，美国加利福尼亚州奥克兰联邦法院批准了苹果支付9500万美元，就语音助手Siri"非 法且有意录制对话"集体诉讼达成的和解协议。预计每台设备向用户赔付20美元，单人最多赔付100美 元，相关赔偿款项正于近期陆续发放。 （文章来源：南方都市报） 当地时间1月26日，据路透社报道，谷歌同意支付约6800万美元，解决一项指控其语音助手Google Assistant非法"窃听"智能设备用户的集体诉讼，但否认公司存在任何不当行为。2025年初，苹果公司也 曾因类似指控与用户达成约9500万美元的和解协议，相关赔偿款项正于近期陆续发放。 据悉，根据谷歌语音助手的工作原理，只有用户说出"嘿，谷歌"或"好的，谷歌"等特定触发词后，助手 才会开启监听功能。然而原告用户诉称，家中智能音箱、手机或其他搭载Google Assistant的设备经常误 将其他内容 ...

Google agreed to pay $68 million to settle claims its voice assistant illegally spied on users to, among other things, serve them advertisements, Reuters reports. Google did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement of the class-action case, which accused the firm of “unlawful and intentional interception and recording of individuals’ confidential communications without their consent and subsequent unauthorized disclosure of those communications to third parties.” The suit further claimed that “information g ...

Core Viewpoint - Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle claims that its voice assistant illegally spied on users for advertising purposes without their consent [1][2]. Group 1: Settlement Details - The settlement is part of a class-action case where Google was accused of "unlawful and intentional interception and recording of individuals' confidential communications without their consent" [2]. - Google did not admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement [2]. Group 2: Allegations and Context - The case involved allegations of "false accepts," where Google Assistant allegedly activated and recorded user communications without a wake word prompt [2]. - There is a growing concern among Americans regarding privacy, with similar claims leading to legal actions against other tech companies, such as Apple, which settled for $95 million in 2021 over similar allegations regarding its Siri assistant [3]. Group 3: Previous Legal Issues - Google has faced other privacy-related litigation, including a $1.4 billion settlement with the state of Texas for violating data privacy laws [4].

IT之家 1 月 27 日消息，据外媒 engadget 报道，谷歌已同意支付 6800 万美元（IT之家注：现汇率约合 4.74 亿元人民币）达成和解，以解决一项指控其语音助手不当"窃听"智能手机用户的集体诉讼。 不过谷歌在案件中否认存在不当行为，法庭文件则是显示，公司选择和解是为了"避免持续诉讼带来的 风险和高昂成本"。目前这项初步集体诉讼和解协议已提交法院，仍需美国地区法官贝丝 · 拉布森 · 弗里 曼（Beth Labson Freeman）批准后才能正式生效。 IT之家注意到，苹果也曾因 Siri 语音助手"意外录音"遭遇集体诉讼，并在 2025 年 1 月达成了约 9500 万 美元（现汇率约合 6.62 亿元人民币）的和解费用。 据悉，原告方称，谷歌旗下 Google Assistant 在将日常对话误判为唤醒词后，会在用户不知情的情况下 开始监听，进而收集到本不应获取的私人信息，并据此投放定向广告。 ...

Settlement Overview - Google has agreed to a preliminary settlement of $68 million in a class action lawsuit alleging that Google Assistant illegally recorded users' private conversations when it misperceived activation words [2][3] Allegations and Legal Context - The lawsuit claimed that Google Assistant recorded and disseminated private conversations triggered by misinterpreted "hot words," which were not intended to activate the assistant [2] - Google denied any wrongdoing but opted to settle to avoid further litigation [3] Industry Trends and Consumer Trust - A report indicated a decline in consumer trust in voice assistants, with confidence in their ability to match human intelligence dropping from 73% to 60% over 15 months [6] - The percentage of consumers skeptical about the future capabilities of voice assistants increased from 27% to 40%, attributed to unmet expectations for performance and reliability [6]

Core Insights - Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle a lawsuit regarding its voice-activated assistant, which allegedly spied on smartphone users and violated their privacy [1] Company Summary - The settlement amount of $68 million indicates the financial implications of legal challenges faced by Google in relation to privacy concerns [1] - This lawsuit highlights ongoing issues in the tech industry regarding user privacy and the ethical use of voice-activated technology [1]

Core Viewpoint - Google and Apple are facing legal repercussions for secretly recording users' conversations without consent, leading to a combined settlement of $163 million to resolve the lawsuits [1]. Group 1: Apple - Apple has agreed to a $95 million settlement for a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of eavesdropping on users who did not activate Siri with the prompt "Hey, Siri" [1][4]. - Users who purchased Apple devices between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024, and experienced unintended Siri activations are eligible for compensation, capped at $20 per device, with a maximum of five devices per person [7][8]. - Apple reported a net income of $93.74 billion in the last fiscal year, indicating that the settlement amount represents approximately nine hours of profit for the company [8]. Group 2: Google - Google has reached a tentative $68 million settlement related to a lawsuit claiming that Google Assistant recorded users without the activation phrase "OK Google" [4][15]. - The settlement is part of a lawsuit filed in 2019 and is pending approval from a federal judge [4][15]. - The class-action suit against Google includes all users in the U.S. who purchased a Google device and had Gmail accounts linked to Google Assistant-enabled devices between May 18, 2016, and December 16, 2022 [15]. Group 3: User Experience and Advertising - Users reported receiving targeted advertisements for brands they discussed in conversations that were recorded, such as Olive Garden and Air Jordan [3][9]. - The lawsuits allege that recorded discussions were shared with third-party businesses, leading to these targeted ads [9]. Group 4: Company Responses - Both Apple and Google have denied any wrongdoing regarding the allegations made in the lawsuits [5]. - Apple has since implemented a policy requiring users to opt in before their recorded audio can be used to improve Siri's functionality [5].