- By Prateek Levi
- Wed, 02 Jul 2025 05:51 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Google Fined: Google is facing a major legal setback after a San Jose jury ordered the tech giant to pay over $314.6 million (roughly Rs 2,620 crore) in damages. The ruling stems from a class-action lawsuit that accused Google of collecting personal data from Android users in California without their consent or knowledge.
Originally filed in 2019, the case represented around 14 million Android users in the state. According to Reuters, plaintiffs claimed that Google continued to send and receive data from users’ devices even when they were inactive. These data transfers allegedly occurred in the background, without notifying users or asking for permission.
The lawsuit characterised these actions as “mandatory and unavoidable burdens” imposed on users to benefit Google—particularly for activities like targeted advertising. After reviewing the arguments, the jury concluded that Google’s actions amounted to a violation of user privacy and misuse of personal data.
Glen Summers, the plaintiffs’ lead attorney, said the verdict “forcefully vindicates the merits of this case and reflects the seriousness of Google’s misconduct.” He further called the ruling a strong message.
Google, however, plans to challenge the decision. Company spokesperson Jose Castaneda defended their practices, saying the ruling “misunderstands services that are critical to the security, performance, and reliability of Android devices”.
During the trial, Google also argued that users hadn’t suffered real harm and had already agreed to data collection terms via its privacy policies and terms of service.
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This isn't the end of Google’s legal troubles, either. A separate lawsuit making similar allegations has been filed in federal court in San Jose, covering Android users across the remaining 49 U.S. states. That case is currently scheduled to go to trial in April 2026.