Google must face mobile phone privacy class action, possible August trial

The tech giant failed to persuade a federal judge to dismiss a privacy class action accusing it of collecting personal data from people's cell phones even after they opted out of tracking.

By  Storyboard18Jan 9, 2025 9:33 AM
Google must face mobile phone privacy class action, possible August trial
The lawsuit which began in July 2020, is not Google's first privacy-related legal challenge.

Google must defend itself against a privacy class action alleging that it collected data from mobile phone users who believed they had switched off tracking after the tech giant failed to convince a federal judge to throw out the case, as per reports.

Chief Judge Richard Seeborg of the federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday rejected Google's argument that its Web & App Activity settings were inadequately disclosed and that users had provided consent.

According to court documents, Google had also maintained that its basic record-keeping "doesn't hurt anyone," the report added.

However, Judge Seeborg said a jury could determine that Google's conduct was "highly offensive," citing internal communications suggesting that the company, a unit of Alphabet, might have deliberately kept its data collection practices vague. The lawsuit claims Google intercepted and saved personal browsing histories without user consent, potentially violating a California law that prohibits unauthorized, fraudulent computer access, the report said.

Seeborg also cited evidence that Google employees were aware of users' concerns and knew their disclosures were ambiguous. He noted that whether Google's interpretation or the plaintiffs' interpretation prevails is "a triable issue of fact." The case is set for jury trial on August 18.

The lawsuit which began in July 2020, is not Google's first privacy-related legal challenge. In a separate case last August, the federal appeals court in San Francisco revived a lawsuit accusing Google of tracking Chrome users who had chosen not to synchronize their browsers with their Google accounts.

Four months earlier, Google agreed to destroy billions of data records to settle a different class action alleging it tracked people using Chrome's "Incognito" mode. The same law firms representing plaintiffs in that case are also involved in this one, added the report.

First Published on Jan 9, 2025 9:33 AM

More from Storyboard18

Digital

Reliance Jio Platforms' profit soars by 25% to Rs 7,110 crore in Q1 FY26

Reliance Jio Platforms' profit soars by 25% to Rs 7,110 crore in Q1 FY26

Brand Marketing

Perplexity AI overtakes ChatGPT on App Store after Airtel deal sparks download surge

Perplexity AI overtakes ChatGPT on App Store after Airtel deal sparks download surge

How it Works

Meta hires two more Apple AI researchers after poaching their boss

Meta hires two more Apple AI researchers after poaching their boss

How it Works

Google sues China-based operators over BadBox 2.0 Android botnet

Google sues China-based operators over BadBox 2.0 Android botnet

How it Works

WAVES Bazaar enabled content deals worth Rs 1,300 cr: Sanjay Jaju reveals at IICT inauguration

WAVES Bazaar enabled content deals worth Rs 1,300 cr:  Sanjay Jaju reveals at IICT inauguration

Digital

MIB Secretary Sanjay Jaju calls on AI startups to drive India's multilingual tech revolution

MIB Secretary Sanjay Jaju calls on AI startups to drive India's multilingual tech revolution

Digital

Amazon's live streaming service Twitch tests vertical video streams

Amazon's live streaming service Twitch tests vertical video streams

Digital

Mark Zuckerberg agrees to settle multibillion-dollar shareholder lawsuit

Mark Zuckerberg agrees to settle multibillion-dollar shareholder lawsuit