Google to Pay $425 Million for Alleged Data Collection, Even When Tracking Was Off
So, Google's been hit with a $425 million bill after a jury decided they were collecting user data even when people thought they'd switched tracking off. This all started with a lawsuit back in 2020, where the main argument was that Google was still grabbing data through other apps, like Uber and Instagram, even if you'd disabled the Web & App Activity setting.
The lawsuit became a class action, involving a massive 98 million Google users and 174 million devices. While the lawyers wanted a staggering $31 billion in damages, the jury only found Google guilty on a couple of the privacy violation claims. They figured Google didn't break the California data access law and didn't act maliciously. Because of that, no extra punishment money (punitive damages) was awarded.
Google isn't taking this lying down. A spokesperson said the decision doesn't quite get how their stuff works. They're saying their privacy tools let users control their data, and they respect when people turn off personalization. The plan is to appeal the decision.
It's not the first time Google's been in this kind of hot water. There was another lawsuit in 2020 about tracking people in Incognito mode. That one ended with Google settling for $5 billion in 2023. They even admitted they could grab info in Incognito and promised to delete tons of data they'd collected.
Source: Engadget