Google Nest allegedly scans, stores all faces, new class action lawsuit claims

California resident Barbara Trevino filed a class action lawsuit against Google LLC on July 1, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleging the company's Nest doorbell and smart cameras secretly collect facial recognition data from anyone who enters their field of view.

Google's Familiar Faces feature

Trevino says she walks her neighborhood for exercise, passing homes with Nest cameras pointed at the sidewalk. The proposed class action alleges that each time she enters a camera's view, Google collects her biometric data, builds a facial recognition map and stores her photograph without consent or any way to opt out.

The lawsuit centers on a Nest feature called Familiar Faces that is available through the paid Google Home Premium subscription. Google reportedly promotes it as a way to teach a camera "to recognize faces of people that you know." To sort familiar faces from strangers, the devices photograph everyone who passes them to build a mathematical map of each person's facial features. Google then stores this information in a Familiar Faces library that owners can scroll through to identify passersby, the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit cites figures stating that 33 million American households use smart cameras and that Nest held roughly 24% of the doorbell market as of 2020. Trevino contends that through that network, Google can reach nearly everyone in the country, including people who never bought a Nest.

Google already switched the feature off in Illinois

Google disables Familiar Faces in Illinois to avoid violating the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act, which requires written consent before collecting biometric data, the complaint says. Its own help page warns owners they may need consent depending on where they live, but the devices offer no way to get it, according to the lawsuit.

The proposed class action alleges Google profits by attracting Nest buyers, collecting subscription fees, training its AI on the data and building a vast biometric library.

The legal claims

The class action lawsuit brings three claims against Google:

  • Intrusion upon seclusion, alleging Google pried into passersby's private affairs in a way a reasonable person would find highly offensive
  • California Constitution, Article I, Section 1, the state's right to privacy, claiming Google captures and uses people's identifying data
  • California Civil Code Section 3344, barring commercial use of a person's photo or likeness without consent

Who could join the Google Nest class action?

Trevino asks the court to certify two groups: a nationwide class covering everyone in the United States whose facial and biometric data a Nest device collected without consent and a narrower class of California residents. There is no settlement, no claims process and no money available at this time.