Google is facing a lawsuit accusing it of unlawfully using its Gemini AI assistant to monitor private user communications across Gmail, Chat, and Meet. The complaint, filed in federal court in San Jose, California, claims that while users were once given the option to enable the AI tool, Google secretly activated Gemini by default in October without notifying or seeking consent from users.

According to the plaintiffs, this change allowed Google to collect vast amounts of personal data without permission. The suit alleges that Gemini gained access to users’ complete communication histories, including every email and attachment in their Gmail accounts, as well as messages and recordings from Chat and Meet. Although users can deactivate Gemini, the lawsuit argues that Google has made the process deliberately complicated by burying the option deep within its privacy settings.

The complaint further asserts that Google’s actions violate the California Invasion of Privacy Act, a state law enacted in 1967 that prohibits wiretapping and the secret recording of private communications without the consent of all parties involved. The plaintiffs contend that Google’s conduct constitutes a serious breach of user privacy and an unlawful exploitation of personal information.

Google has not yet issued a formal response to the lawsuit or commented on the specific allegations. The case, titled Thele v. Google LLC (25-cv-09704), has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose. The outcome could have major implications for how technology companies deploy artificial intelligence tools that interact with user data.