Google Ordered to Pay $425M in Class Action Over Privacy Violations

Google must pay $425 million in damages after a federal jury ruled that the company violated users' privacy by continuing to collect data despite users turning off a tracking feature. The lawsuit, filed in 2020, alleged that Google accessed users' mobile devices to collect data, violating privacy assurances. Google plans to appeal the verdict.

A federal jury in San Francisco has ordered Google to pay $425 million in a class-action lawsuit, finding the company liable for two of three claims of privacy violations. The case, which covers 98 million Google users and 174 million devices, stems from allegations that Google continued to collect data from users who had switched off a tracking feature in their Google account [1].

The lawsuit, filed in July 2020, accused Google of accessing users' mobile devices to collect, save, and use their data, violating privacy representations under its Web & App Activity setting. The consumers were seeking more than $31 billion in damages. A spokesperson for Google confirmed the verdict [1].

The jury found that Google is liable for invasion of privacy and intrusion upon seclusion violations but not California’s Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Separately, a U.S. federal judge ruled that Google must share search data with rivals, but does not have to sell its Chrome web browser [2].

Google maintains that it respects users' privacy choices and that the information collected by Google Analytics does not identify individual users. The company has not yet commented on the data-sharing mandate.

The ruling underscores the growing scrutiny of tech companies' data practices and their potential legal liabilities. It also highlights the importance of user privacy in the digital age and the need for transparent data collection practices.

References:
[1] https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/google-must-pay-425-million-class-action-over-privacy-jury-rules-2025-09-03/
[2] https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/google-violated-privacy-of-nearly-100-million-users-jury-finds