(Reclaim The Net)—A San Jose jury has ordered Google to pay more than $314.6 million to Android users in California, finding that the company improperly harvested data from smartphones without user permission.
We obtained a copy of the decision for you here.
The case centered on claims that Google, through its Android operating system, collected information from idle devices, placing what the lawsuit described as “mandatory and unavoidable burdens shouldered by Android device users for Google’s benefit.”
The class action, filed in 2019, represented around 14 million Californians. According to the plaintiffs, Google’s covert data collection fueled its advertising operations while unfairly consuming users’ cellular data.
Jurors agreed that the company’s practices violated privacy rights by transmitting data even when phones were not in active use.
Attorney Glen Summers, representing the plaintiffs, welcomed the outcome. He said the verdict “forcefully vindicates the merits of this case and reflects the seriousness of Google’s misconduct.”
- Read More: reclaimthenet.com
