Google recently settled a massive class action lawsuit for $68 million after smart device users accused the company's virtual assistant tool of recording their conversations without their knowledge or consent. 

The settlement was reached last week in Northern California and stems from allegations that the tool recorded users even when they did not preface something with "Hey Google," "Okay Google," or press a button on the device. 

Users claimed that the devices must have recorded them without their knowledge or consent when they received targeted advertisements for things they did not ask Google about. 

Google said in the filing late Friday that it was settling to avoid the “uncertainty, risk, expense, inconvenience and distraction” of a lengthy court battle, according to The Hill, and it did not admit to any wrongdoing. The settlement still needs to be approved by a judge. 

The settlement comes after Apple reached a similar $95 million settlement last year over its voice assistant Siri allegedly listening to private or confidential conversations that were then shared with third-party businesses and used to help cultivate interesting ads for the users on Safari or its Apple Search.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.