Google sued, social media on trial as TikTok loses users

Big Tech is facing mounting scrutiny on multiple fronts. Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle a lawsuit claiming its voice assistant recorded private conversations without users’ consent, even without the “Hey Google” activation phrase.  At the same time, a landmark trial against Meta and Google is underway in California, accusing the companies of intentionally designing social media platforms to be addictive and harmful to teens.  Meanwhile, TikTok is seeing a surge in U.S. users deleting the app, with reports showing deletions up nearly 150% in recent days.