Google hit with a $425 million verdict in app data collection lawsuit

A federal jury has found Google liable on two of three claims of user privacy in a long-running lawsuit that started in 2020. The trial, which took place in a federal court in San Francisco, US, alleged that Google had illegally accessed mobile devices to collect data over an eight-year period.

It was in direct conflict with the privacy assurances provided in Google's web and activity settings in their products. The plaintiffs alleged that Google continued harvesting their data despite opting out of data collection.

According to Reuters, Google argued that the data was "nonpersonal, pseudonymous, and stored in segregated, secured, and encrypted locations." The company reiterated that the collected data wasn't linked to any individual user accounts.

The case was initially brought forward by Anibal Rodriguez, who said Google continued to collect data despite claiming that users could opt out through privacy settings in the "Web and App Activity" section.

According to Courthouse News Service, the attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that Google never sought permission to collect and store data despite the web activity settings being toggled off. They accused the company of falsely telling users "that they could control, see, and delete the data Google collected from their activity."

The Jury ordered Google to pay $425 million in damages to settle the lawsuit. The plaintiffs initially sought $31 billion.

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda told Reuters that the company will appeal the decision, arguing the verdict "misunderstands" how their products "work."

"Our privacy tools give people control over their data, and when they turn off personalization, we honor that choice," Castaneda said.