A court ordered Google to pay $425 million after finding the company misled 98 million users about data collection through its “Web & App Activity” setting[1]. The case revealed Google continued gathering user data via Firebase, a monitoring database embedded in 97% of top Android apps and 54% of leading iOS apps, even after users disabled data collection[1:1].
Google’s internal communications showed the company was “intentionally vague” about its data collection practices because being transparent “could sound alarming to users,” according to district judge Richard Seeborg[1:2].
This ruling adds to Google’s recent privacy settlements, including:
- $392 million paid to 40 states in 2023 for location tracking violations
- $40 million to Washington state for similar location tracking issues
- $1.38 billion to Texas in 2025 over location tracking and incognito mode claims[1:3]
Google plans to appeal the $425 million verdict, with spokesperson Jose Castaneda stating “This decision misunderstands how our products work” and asserting that Google honors user privacy choices[1:4].
Uh yes, I would like to claim my $425m please and thank you.
I hope it’s the amount for each user
Like .25¢ per user.
This outcome is predictable, as these corporations tend to avoid consequences.
People were ever confused about Google’s relationship with privacy?
I think if anyone is financially liable for misleading anyone, it’s the Android community. I mean the fanboys, the anti-Apple guys, the ones who downplayed, omitted, or straight up lied about Android being a vehicle for data collection first and foremost. But they have no direct financial gain for doing so (they gain nothing if you buy a phone running Android, and they lose nothing if you buy an iPhone) so they can’t be held liable.
Google has never been your friend if you care about privacy. You use Google tools because they’re free and they’re pretty good. You pay with your privacy. Always have. You use Android because it’s more customisable than iOS, and because of the illusion of open source (iOS is based on macOS which was based on NeXTSTEP which was basically UNIX, so who cares if Android is Linux?). And because you can install custom firmware (e.g. GrapheneOS) which is Android with the tracking stuff stripped out. But you’re still paying Google and paying into their business model, i.e. rewarding them for bad behaviour (or at least that which you profess to disapprove of).
(FWIW, I use both platforms. I like both platforms, and I can tell you what I like more about each one beyond what I’ve said, but it’s apocryphal at best.)
That’s going to be $0.80 for each of us
And it will be on a prepaid card and you’ll need to sign up for a google account to get the card.
That’s what Equifax did to people. Made them create an account and fork over personal details to get the settlement payout.
A settlement Equifax had to pay over stolen data. Oh the irony.
Ok, fork it the fuck over.
If we all started going in on all the privacy violation lawsuits and collecting on them it adds up.
Why am I supposed to clip coupons but not collect free money these giant corporations are hemorrhaging?
Edit: Actually just checked and it’s about $4/user. I’ll take $4 out of spite.
Why don’t we treat them like other criminals.
You’ve done a crime, go to corpo prison for 20 years
Why are we treating corporation, which we “Limit Liability” of the operators already, nicer than we treat humans ?
Like, what happens if you’re found to have done fraud ?
That’s like 5 years in prison isn’t it ?
Don’t necessary put the C-suite in prison, just put the corporation in prison for 5 years. Everyone that works there can work somewhere else during the time out.
Other corporation can fill the vacuum while the criminal corporation is absent ?Because if not, two things are going to happen.
Way more C-unts are going to get Luigi’d
and/or
I’m going to start a criminal corporation and we’re going to mulch cop-babies for protein.Personally I’d rather not see corporations get even more personified. We’ve already got a massive fascism problem that has been brewing for 100+ years. If you want to see the move away from fascism then government will need to hold stakeholders accountable for the CEO’s actions. Until then the CEO will continue to be the very well paid fall guy for corporate fuckery while the actual decision makers are untouchable.
Corporations get treated as humans with only rights and no duties.
The case revealed Google continued gathering user data via Firebase, a monitoring database embedded in 97% of top Android apps and 54% of leading iOS apps, even after users disabled data collection
This is why we can’t have nice things.
Billion starts with a “B”
Last week I created a temporary google account using an address from my own domain. The other day Google sent a mail that the account is restricted and I need to verify my age first. I’m located in central EU, why is Google doing this?
Again they show us privacy policy never works, libre software does.
Yes, a lot of people believe this. Privacy and security only depends on the ethics and intentions of the dev or company, not of the license of their product. A lot of mal/spyware is FLOSS, even Googles tracking APIs (eg.googleanalytics, google-tagmanager, etc), included in a lot of FOSS, is.
Next you’re going to tell me that politicians don’t tell the truth.
Well… Unfortunately, politicians sometimes tell the truth
They continued harvesting data from users after the users explicitly disabled an option to shut that off. And for that, they owe $4 a person. When are we going to starting fining these companies properly? How about a thousand dollars a person for an infraction like this? Maybe a $98 billion fine might get them to start caring.
$425m is chump change to google, and they’re still trying to get out of it. Shows how unfathomably greedy these parasites are.
Zuckerberg has two $200m yachts. Google execs could probably find $425m in their couch cushions.
“google mislead ____ about privacy”…no! Really?! They would never!
Don’t they have a rule, “don’t be evil.” oh wait.
they got rid of the “don’t” part about the same time they bought youtube or so…maybe they waited until the moment they started auto-un-subbing people from certain channels, that’s where everything really got fucked up, it started from that
Yes, when it was still Anakim Skywalker leading the company
Isn’t he now?
…as Dard Vader
Yes, a big surprise
Even with the small amount per user, they better be forced to pay in real checks or similar. Not in Play Store gift cards/credits, as I imagine that is what they will want to do if their appeal fails.
