We all know that Android is actually a Google product, but now we’re seeing that a California jury has just ordered Google to pay about $314.6 million to Android users. Why? Well, as per this Google Android Cellular Data Lawsuit and the allegations made against them, they were sneakily collecting user data. Yup! Without them even knowing. So, this resulted in a legal chaos for Google, and now let’s get to the details of it all.
How Was The Whole Thing Started in The First Place?
Some Android users got a whiff of something fishy back in 2016. The cell phones of those users were found to be consuming mobile data even when they were not in use and idle sitting on the desks. It was identified that Google was infringing upon the privacy of the end-users via the collection of background data.
In 2019, some folks from California were in a position to sue Google in a class action case. The accusation was that the search giant was stealing the data of many people without their consent. Finally, after lots of court procedures, the jury supported the people.
What Was Google Doing?
Here’s what was uncovered in this Google Android Cellular Data Lawsuit:
While the users’ screens were turned off and no applications were launched, the mobile device was still covertly transmitting information to Google. These data were not sent via Wi-Fi, but through wireless data, which meant users were not aware that they were actually being charged for such usage.
Such information was regarding system logs and some performance tests. It was not necessary, but Google still made an immediate sending of it, only that the user covers the cost.
The study carried out on the Samsung Galaxy S7 equipment discovered that the device was transferring around 9MB of data a day, split among 389+ occurrences each day. This is too much data, especially when the mobile is idle.
Google’s Response So Far
Google’s position was that the data collection is stated in the privacy settings, and users accept the corresponding Terms of Service voluntarily. The company went further to say that this was essential for the running of the Android devices in a secure and efficient manner. But was that the case, though? That’s the question to ask!
On the other hand, the jury was convinced that Google was not being completely forthcoming with the users. They felt that they were being unfairly treated and hence decided to give the judgment in favor of the users. Google’s next move will be to appeal the judgment.
Who Is Entitled to Benefit from the Settlement?
The settlement of $314.6 million is for Android users who:
- Lived in California
- Used a Google-licensed Android phone
- Between August 9, 2016, and now
This results in about 14 million individuals. If this is you, you most likely can claim from the settlement.
Why This Is Important
The lawsuit must not be misconstrued as aimed solely at the money, but instead, it is beyond that message and covers the topics of clarity and giving the user control. People were unaware that their phones, even after they had turned off location data reporting, were still transferring their geographic and internet data to Google.
Besides the giant Google, a lot of the tech corporations are in a similar position, as the privacy breach is concerned, and they face a number of lawsuits. Specially:
Google was forced to pay $100 million to the complainants in another case that was related to the misuse of its advertising tools.
In Texas, there were plaintiffs who were awarded a sum of $1.4 billion for the newly emerged matters about the geo-information and the like.
