In 2019, approximately 14 million California citizens filed a class action lawsuit against Google for allegedly collecting data from idle Android phones for targeted advertising, resulting in unauthorized cellular data use. A jury ruled that Google misused this data, ordering the company to pay $314 million to those affected. Google plans to appeal the verdict, asserting that no harm was done to users and claiming user consent based on privacy policies. A separate lawsuit regarding similar issues in other states is scheduled for trial in April 2026.
A jury in San Jose, California, said on Tuesday that Google misused customers' cellphone data and must pay more than $314.6m to Android smartphone users in the state, according to an attorney for the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit states that Alphabet Google performed mandatory and unavoidable burdens shouldered by Android device users for Google's benefit while also sending and receiving information while being idle.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda did say the company plans to appeal the lawsuit verdict while the company also said no users were harmed through this incident.
Google also claims that users consented to such rules in the privacy policies regarding this case, and with the company planning to appeal, it could be time before this gets some clarity.
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