Tech Giant Google Agrees to Compensate American Users with $425 Million

In a landmark decision, a jury in San Francisco has found that Google violated the privacy of its users, ordering the internet giant to pay approximately 425 million dollars in a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit, which covered a period from July 2016 to September 2024, centred on allegations that Google collected user data despite it being turned off in their settings for "Web and App Activity."

The lawsuit, filed against Google, claimed that the company collected user data without consent. The collected data, which was not supposed to be collected according to Google's settings, ended up with other services and websites at Google. The information from other websites and services was used to tailor the ads shown on Google. However, the jury did not find that Google acted intentionally, which would have increased the payment.

The verdict, if not reduced on appeal, could total approximately 425 million dollars. Google plans to appeal the decision, denying the allegations and criticising the verdict, saying it was based on a "misunderstanding of how our products work."

For 55 million affected Android device users, they are entitled to around 247 million dollars. For 56.6 million users of other operating systems, they estimated 178.5 million dollars. It's common in the US for such jury decisions to be at least reduced on appeal. The final word on the case has not yet been spoken.

The lawsuit alleges that Google collected user data without consent, a practice that has raised concerns about privacy and data security. The transmitted data was not personalized, but the fact that it was collected without permission has led to this legal action. The provided search results do not contain any information regarding the names of the persons who filed the charges against Google in a class action lawsuit.

Google has been ordered to pay approximately 425 million dollars to US users following the class action lawsuit. The trial was a significant event in the ongoing debate about privacy and data collection by tech companies. As the case progresses, it will be interesting to see how Google responds and whether the decision stands on appeal.