Jury Orders Google To Pay $425 Million For Violating User Privacy

A national assemblage successful California has ordered Google to salary $425 cardinal for violating personification privateness by collecting nan information of millions of group moreover aft they abnormal tracking, as reported earlier by Reuters.

The determination stems from a class action lawsuit revenge successful July 2020, which accused Google of unlawfully accessing app activity information connected users’ mobile phones from July 2016 to September 2024. The suit alleged that during this period, Google continued to cod personification information crossed third-party apps moreover if they had nan “Web & App Activity” mounting turned off. 

The Web & App Activity mounting is expected to power really Google collects accusation related to your searches, location, and activity connected third-party sites, apps, and devices that partner pinch Google to show ads. Google says it uses this accusation to supply you pinch “more personalized experiences.” 

The assemblage recovered Google liable for 2 of 3 claims brought by nan people action lawsuit, including penetration of privateness and intrusion upon seclusion. The class, which covers astir 98 cardinal users and 174 cardinal devices, primitively sought complete $31 cardinal successful compensatory damages.

Google plans to entreaty nan verdict. “This determination misunderstands really our products work,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda said successful a connection to The Verge. “Our privateness devices springiness group power complete their data, and erstwhile they move disconnected personalization, we grant that choice.” Google argues that it treats information pseudonymously erstwhile users move disconnected nan Web & App Activity setting, and claims that users “knew and consented” to this practice.