Google agreed to sign a settlement that will cost the company as much as $5 billion. The case has been going on since 2020 and was founded as a class action lawsuit by a group of dissatisfied users of Google services. Previous attempts to end the process amicably did not bring any results.
Google will pay $5 billion to dissatisfied users. It was about privacy
How the district court in Oakland, California, suspended the trial against Google scheduled for February 5, 2024, because the company had reached an agreement with the plaintiffs’ lawyers in the final stages. It was revealed that both parties agreed to the final content of the settlement, which is to be signed no later than February 24, 2024. Its earlier version was issued in August this year. was rejected by the authors of the lawsuit.
It accused Google of “secretly tracking the online activity of millions of people” while they believed they were surfing the web privately. This applies to people who used Google services in the incognito mode of the Chrome browser or in the privacy modes of other browsers. The lawsuit also states that the company allegedly used its analytical tools, cookies and applications (for the above-mentioned tracking).
The plaintiffs alleged that Google had therefore turned into an “infinite treasure trove of information” and was collecting significant amounts of data, including: about friends, favorite dishes or shopping preferences of Internet users. It added that Google even had access to “potentially embarrassing things” about users.
Lawyers initially demanded PLN 5,000. dollars in fines for each user found to be in violation of California privacy laws. However, the specific number of users that Google was supposed to track was never given. Ultimately, in the settlement, the Internet giant agreed to pay as much as $5 billion. For now, the details of the settlement are not clear, so it is not known who exactly the money will go to.
The judge handling the case admitted – as Reuters writes – that it was an “open question” whether Google would agree to make a “legally binding promise” that it would not collect data from users browsing the web privately in the future. The agency added that neither side responded to a request for comment.
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
