Thele v. Google LLC

On 11 November 2025, Thomas Thele commenced class action proceedings against Google LLC in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging violations of privacy rights through unauthorised artificial intelligence surveillance.

The Complaint asserts that Google secretly activated its Gemini AI system across Gmail, Chat, and Meet services on approximately 10 October 2025, contending that this constituted unauthorised access to users' private communications without informed consent. According to the pleadings, Google's AI technology now tracks and stores the entire recorded history of users' private communications by default, including emails and attachments, requiring users to affirmatively disable the feature despite never agreeing to such monitoring initially. The Complaint further alleges that Google's conduct violates users' reasonable expectations of privacy in password-protected services, particularly affecting parents seeking to protect their children's communications. Claims advanced include violations of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, California Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, the federal Stored Communications Act, California's Constitutional Right to Privacy, and intrusion upon seclusion.

Thele seeks class action relief on behalf of all similarly situated users, asserting causes of action in tort and statutory violations for Google's alleged deceptive privacy practices.