Google agrees to US$135m Android data settlement days after Assistant privacy case
Google will pay US$135 million to settle a class action alleging it collected Android users' mobile data without consent. Filed just days after a similar US$68 million privacy settlement, this case centres on unauthorised cellular data transfers by the Android operating system.
- Google will pay US$135 million to settle claims that Android collected mobile data without user consent.
- The case alleges the unauthorised transfers continued even when apps were closed or location-sharing was off.
- Settlement follows a separate US$68 million payout over Google Assistant privacy concerns.
Google has agreed to pay US$135 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit brought by smartphone users who accused the company of surreptitiously collecting mobile data through the Android operating system without user permission.
A preliminary settlement was filed on 23 January in a federal court in San Jose, California. It requires final approval by a US District Judge.
The lawsuit alleged that Android collected users’ cellular data – purchased through mobile carriers – even after they closed Google apps, disabled location-sharing features, or locked their devices.
According to the plaintiffs, this data collection supported Google’s product development and advertising efforts. They argued it amounted to “conversion”, a legal term meaning wrongful control over someone else’s property.
As part of the settlement terms, Google has agreed to obtain user consent before transferring data during the initial phone setup process.
Additionally, the company will provide clearer toggle options allowing users to prevent such data transfers, and will disclose these practices in the Google Play terms of service.
Glen Summers, representing the plaintiffs, stated in court filings that the US$135 million settlement is likely the largest ever in a conversion case.
Individual payments are capped at US$100 per claimant, though plaintiffs’ experts had estimated potential damages could have reached US$1.05 billion had the case gone to trial.
A trial had been scheduled for 5 August. Google did not issue an immediate comment on the settlement.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs may seek up to US$39.8 million, or 29.5% of the total fund, in legal fees.
This case follows closely on the heels of another settlement announced on 26 January, in which Google agreed to pay US$68 million to resolve claims related to its Google Assistant. In that matter, users alleged the Assistant improperly recorded conversations through inadvertent activation, leading to privacy violations and targeted advertising.
In both cases, Google denied wrongdoing, stating it agreed to settle in order to avoid the cost and uncertainty of litigation.
