Technology

I was recently sitting with a bunch of workers in a welding shop where I was having some work done, and we were discussing a particular piece of unusual equipment with a very unusual variation. In other words, not something that would normally come up in a normal conversation.

One of the guys gets a notification, looks at his phone, and there is an ad for this weird piece of equipment that I'd never even heard of before. He gasped, and held his phone up for the rest to see. Apparently, this had happened before, and they'd all been discussing it. Now it happened again.

They're spying on us every minute. I saw the proof that day.

Always the easy way out, littery a drop in the ocean, with zero actual consequences, these companies drink champagne and celebrate every time they receive this kind of a verdict

NOT ENOUGH.

Settlements should not be allowed in cases where its companies versus people.

All these companies are spying on you. You cannot convince me otherwise. Too many suspect conversations have led to targeted ads and the like that make no sense UNLESS they’re always listening.

I was originally part of this class-action. When the lawyers decided to settle I refused to accept the settlement, purely because Google admitted no fault and also required us to agree that we couldn't ever sue over the issue again in the future even if new evidence came to light. The dollar amount they offered wasn't tiny (it wasn't large by any means either), but I felt it was in no way a valid amount for what was being claimed. Not to mention the lawyers were taking close to or maybe more than half of the settlement money, which I find offensive considering they decided to settle the case and allow Google to wash their hands of the matter. Luckily I reserved my right to sue again in the future, but I'd either have to go at it alone or try to form a new class-action suite. I'm still incredibly disappointed that the lawyers handling the case backed down and took the settlement, I would have rather lost the case and discovered the truth than take a pittance and let Google off.

Edit: I almost forgot, the most aggregious requirement to the settlement was the non-disclosure agreement that you had to accept which meant you couldn't say anything at all about the settlement or the case if you took the money. It also appeared to me that they were trying to apply the non-disclosure even if you didn't take the settlement, which I don't know how you can be held to a NDA if you haven't signed and accepted the NDA. The whole thing smelled of bullshit to me.

So Apple paid for the same thing a couple of years ago, and Google pays for it now. Two of the biggest "phone/os" companies do spy on people and now it's a confirmed fact.

Oh, yeah. That $3.07 settlement covers the damages with a little to spare. Now I can put a down-payment on some French fries.

Google really needs to be shut down.

Google did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement of the class-action case

A settlement is an admission no matter what Google says. Headline should read, "Google Admits To Using Its Consumer Hardware To Spy On Users."

68M won't do shit but give a slap on the wrist. Make the amount in the billions and they'll learn.

68 million is probably a rounding error in their yearly lawyer budget alone.

They had to pay pennies while hoarding in a huge profit. Well, that will teach them!

Buying themselves free, how convenient.

Google spying on its users? To push ads? Preposterous!

68 m&m's? hey big spender!

$68 million is chump change to Google.

This is like me getting a speeding fine for $1.

This is the cost of doing business for them.

Per user?

That is a paltry amount, whomever the class action lawyers are did a shit job, and should've taken it to a jury.

No doubt they figured a judge would overturn any large judgement though, the judges being so thoroughly captured by the rich, especially appeals courts and higher.

My understanding of false accepts is when it think it hears the wake word and starts recording.

Sometimes it happens when I watch TV or rarely in a normal conversation.

If this happens, what else would you expect to happen? It's going to behave exactly as if you woke it.

Stop talking if you notice, but unless you expect a perfect wake word rate with zero mistakes there's nothing that can be done.

Now, if Google is intentionally waking it when it knows it's not the right word that's another matter entirely.

Edit: I'd refuse to accept any wrong doikg as well if it's legit false accepts. But if it was intentional, this isn't even a slap on the wrist for them.

Yeah them and every other tech company that has apps. The punishments should be much higher for companies who violate people's rights