Jury Orders Google to Pay $425 Million in Privacy Class Action
Federal jury finds Alphabet’s Google continued collecting data after users turned off 'Web & App Activity'; plaintiffs had sought more than $31 billion
A federal jury in San Francisco on Wednesday awarded $425 million to a class of users who alleged Google continued to collect data from their mobile devices after they had turned off a tracking feature in their Google accounts.
The verdict in the class-action trial found that Alphabet’s Google invaded users’ privacy by accessing, saving and using data from millions of users over an eight-year period despite representations tied to the Web & App Activity setting. Plaintiffs had sought more than $31 billion in damages.
The jury found Google liable on two of the three claims advanced by plaintiffs but concluded the company did not act with malice, a finding that precludes punitive damages. Counsel for Google confirmed the verdict and reiterated the company’s denial of wrongdoing.
The suit, filed in July 2020, accused Google of continuing to collect users’ data after they disabled the Web & App Activity setting, a control that users were told would stop Google from saving certain activity from their devices. Plaintiffs argued the company nevertheless accessed users’ mobile devices to collect, preserve and use information in ways that breached privacy assurances associated with that account setting.
The case was presented to a federal jury in San Francisco, where testimony and evidence focused on Google’s data-collection practices, the mechanics of the Web & App Activity setting and how information from mobile devices was processed and retained. The exact number of class members and the period covered by the award were not specified in jury documents released publicly.
A Google spokesperson acknowledged the jury’s decision but said the company disagreed with the verdict. The company had previously denied allegations of wrongdoing and defended its privacy practices during pretrial filings and court proceedings.
The verdict comes amid ongoing scrutiny of technology companies’ data-collection practices by regulators, lawmakers and the courts in the United States and abroad. Legal challenges and regulatory inquiries have targeted how major platforms gather, use and disclose personal information, and this ruling adds to a series of high-profile cases testing the limits of consumer privacy protections and corporate disclosures.
The award will be subject to further court procedures, including review by the presiding judge for certification of the class and final approval of any settlement or distribution plan. Either side may also pursue post-trial motions or appeals to challenge aspects of the verdict or its legal underpinnings.
The decision is likely to be cited in future litigation and regulatory discussions about consent, account settings and the transparency of privacy controls offered by digital platforms. It underscores the legal and financial risks technology companies face when consumers and courts disagree over the operation and meaning of privacy features.