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@tyrant@lemmy.world

Post #176004

2026-01-29 17:12 UTC

Google has agreed to a preliminary $135 million settlement in a class action lawsuit brought by Android users who accused it of harvesting their data without consent. The suit alleged that since November 12, 2017, Google has been illegally collecting cellular data from phones purchased through carriers, even when apps were closed or location features were disabled. As reported by Reuters, the affected users believed Google using their data for marketing and product development meant it was guilty of “conversion.” In US law, conversion occurs when one party takes the property of another with “the intent to deprive them of it” or “exert property rights over it.” Subject to approval from a judge, a settlement of $135 million was filed in a San Jose federal court earlier this week. The payout would be one of, if not the largest ever in a case of this nature, according to Glen Summers, a lawyer for the plaintiffs.

Replies (20)

  • @palordrolap@fedia.io 2026-01-29 18:12

    Any C-levels, current or former, who were in charge during the unethical behaviour should be made to pay this. Either they knew or they should have known. Seize their assets, take them back to basic income and lifestyle and only then take the remainder of the fine from the company. Yeah, I know this is a pipe dream. These people have their arms lodged so deep in politicians it makes their mouths flap, so it'll never happen, but it would stop this sort of behaviour right quick.

    Open ##176876

  • @BlackLaZoR@fedia.io 2026-01-29 18:17

    You make a billions over illegal practice and then pay 130mln penalty. Money checks out

    Open ##176919

  • @sbbq@lemmy.zip 2026-01-29 17:22

    Cost of doing business for them, I'm sure.

    Open ##2299837

  • @thejml@sh.itjust.works 2026-01-29 17:50

    Add another two zeros and then its a more positive story.

    Open ##2299838

  • @TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-01-29 21:21

    Guy made millions by scamming people. Court: "I will fine you ONE HUNDRED DOLLLURRRRS! That will teach you!" okay 🤷

    Open ##2299839

  • @reksas@sopuli.xyz 2026-01-29 23:20

    isnt that amount like fining regular person couple of hundred?

    Open ##2299840

  • This shit doesn't stop until the people that actually do this are subject to actual criminal penalties.

    Open ##2299841

  • @Mynameisallen@lemmy.zip 2026-01-29 18:11

    Wow! So everyone gets what $1? Lesson learned I’m sure

    Open ##2299842

  • But they won't stop. It's like if some people complained that I've been speeding consistently over the past 15 years, so the state fines me ($3.9T ÷ $130M = 30,000; my monetary worth of £2,000 ÷ 30,000) £0.06 while I'm ripping through a residential area towards a school *and continue for the next 15*

    Open ##2299847

  • @bitjunkie@lemmy.world 2026-01-29 19:02

    "Google admits that they are illegally collecting data, pays relative pittance to keep it quiet"

    Open ##2299848

  • @db2@lemmy.world 2026-01-29 19:36

    135 million? That's a rounding error to the megacorps.

    Open ##2299849

  • @Nioxic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-01-29 20:15

    IMO they should throw the ceo in jail

    Open ##2299852

  • @ranzispa@mander.xyz 2026-01-29 19:27

    I have an Android phone, where's my money?

    Open ##2299854

  • @escapeVelocity@lemmy.ca 2026-01-30 05:01

    Nice. All that money will be invested in reducing dependence to GAFAM right?

    Open ##2299858

  • I’ll expect my free credit score check sometime in the next 2 years.

    Open ##2299859

  • @REDACTED@infosec.pub 2026-01-31 16:57

    Isn't that like three days of revanue?

    Open ##2299860

  • @PryDer@lemmy.world 2026-01-30 08:46

    Problem is that there's no real alternative right now. It's either google or apple... I own a Samsung and I can't even root it anymore

    Open ##2299861

  • @lmr0x61@lemmy.ml 2026-01-29 20:04

    This is correct on an order of magnitude no single person can really wrap their brains around. Alphabet (the parent company of Google) made $121 billion in 2025. Not gross revenue—net profits ([source](https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/GOOGL/alphabet/net-income)). This “fine” is about 0.1% of what the execs and shareholders *take home*. That cost, in their revenue, wouldn’t register as any change within their accounting. To call it a “rounding error” would be a huge exaggeration.

    Open ##2299866

  • @Pika@sh.itjust.works 2026-01-29 21:52

    as much as I would **love** this. If it ever did become a thing, what you would see wouldn't be companies taking the fine, you would see companies "off-branching" and having income be reported on a parent company that is contracted to the offending company. like in the case of alphabet, they would likely just migrate the android division to be a contractee that they have full control over that they never terminate the contract for. They no longer "own" android legally, they contract android to do their bidding. So when it ends up in court, it ends up as a "well Android did it not us" much like how Amazons third party delivery services worked when they tried to enforce unionization laws.

    Open ##2299867

  • @BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 2026-01-29 19:22

    It's what the EU is doing now

    Open ##2299871