Ever wondered why your mobile data plan sometimes feels like it’s shrinking on its own? A recent court decision in California might shed some light. A jury there just ordered Google to pay a hefty sum: $314.6 million, which is about 295 million euros. This verdict came after a lawsuit accused the tech giant of gathering data from Android phone users without their clear permission.
This isn’t just about a few curious apps. The lawsuit claimed Google was pulling data from devices even when they weren’t actively being used. Think of your phone sitting idle in your pocket. The argument was that this secret data transfer used up people’s mobile data plans. What was Google doing with this information? It was allegedly used for its own goals, like sending out ads tailored just for you.
This legal fight began way back in 2019. It represented around 14 million people living in California. Those who brought the case said that Google collected information quietly in the background. They argued this practice unfairly helped Google at the expense of its users. The recent jury decision agreed with this idea, leading to the big financial penalty.
Google Faces Big Fine Over Android Data
Of course, Google isn’t happy about the ruling. They’ve already said they plan to fight the verdict in court. José Castaneda, a spokesperson for Google, spoke out about the decision. He claimed the jury’s finding “misunderstands” how some important services work. He added that these services are vital for keeping Android devices safe, working well, and reliable.
Google’s lawyers had argued during the trial that users actually gave their permission for this data sharing. They said people agreed when they signed up for Google’s terms of service and privacy policies. They also claimed that no real harm was done to users. Because Google is appealing, they won’t have to pay the fine right away. This appeal process could take a long time, possibly months or even years, to resolve.
This isn’t the only legal challenge Google is facing regarding its data practices. There’s another similar lawsuit happening in San Jose, also in California. This second case represents Android users in the other 49 U.S. states. The claims in this case sound very much like the one that just concluded. That trial isn’t expected to start until April of next year. It shows that the conversation about how tech companies gather our data is far from over.
Source: Reuters