Here are the top trends for Google Search in 2025
As the year draws to a close, Google has announced the top Google search trends for 2025.
Google agreed to two settlements within a week, resulting in the tech giant paying more than $200 million.
Smartphone users accused Google in one class-action lawsuit of programming the Android operating system to collect phone data without their permission, and others alleged that the company’s voice assistant improperly spied on them.
Both lawsuits are filed in federal court in the Northern District of California and require a judge’s approval before proceeding.
Google denied wrongdoing in both settlements.
Google spokesperson Jose Castañeda said in an email to USA TODAY, “We are pleased to resolve this lawsuit that mischaracterizes standard industry practices that keep Android secure.” He did not comment on the Google Assistant issue.
Here’s what you need to know about Google’s settlement.
Android data payment
Android users claimed that Google unnecessarily collected cell phone data purchased from carriers, even when they closed Google apps, disabled location sharing, or locked their screens.
The data, which supports Google’s product development and targeted advertising campaigns, constitutes “conversion,” in which one party illegally takes the property of another in order to assert control.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Glenn Summers said in a court filing that he believes the $135 million payout is the largest ever paid in a conversion case. The maximum payment is $100 per class member.
The proposed settlement was filed in court on January 27th.
Google Assistant payment
In a lawsuit, Google Assistant users accuse the company of illegally recording and disseminating their private conversations after Google Assistant is activated in order to send them targeted ads.
Google Assistant, like Apple’s Siri, is designed to respond when you use “hotwords” such as “Hey Google” or “OK Google.”
Users opted out of receiving ads because Google Assistant misidentified what they said as hotwords. This is known as a “false approval.”
The proposed settlement, filed on January 23, applies to anyone who purchased a Google device after May 18, 2016, or who received a “fraudulent receipt,” according to court documents. Google agreed to pay $68 million to settle the lawsuit
Contributed by: Reuters
