GOOGLE PRIVACY LAWSUIT
Google, Meta, TikTok sue to block California youth social media law
The law, known as Assembly Bill 1709, prohibits such platforms from offering underage children "psychologically exploitative features" that could lead to compulsive use, such as providing personal recommendations and sending videos through autoplay features. It also requires the deletion of children's accounts with those features.
Rhode Island sues Meta over alleged tolerance for scam advertising
The suit, filed by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha in Providence Superior Court, accuses Meta of unlawfully profiting from and participating in the creation of billions of dollars in scam advertising - even as it assured its billions of users that it was working diligently to protect them.
Hey Siri, how did Apple’s early lead in AI turn into a race to catch up?
Apple helped popularise voice assistants, then fell behind as rivals raised the bar. Fifteen years after Siri’s iPhone debut, a long-delayed overhaul puts its comeback to the test.
California bans addictive social media features for under-16s, AI chatbot toys
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed technology laws protecting children online. These measures restrict social media features designed for compulsive use. A four-year ban on AI companion chatbots in toys was also enacted. The legislation strengthens online privacy and parental controls for minors. These laws aim to ensure technology supports children's well-being.
Judge in Google privacy class action awards lawyers $147 million in legal fees
US District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco granted the fee request by law firms Boies Schiller Flexner, Susman Godfrey and Morgan & Morgan over objections from some class members. A jury in September found Google liable for secretly collecting app activity data from millions of users who had disabled a tracking feature.
Meta reaches $16.68 billion settlement over social media harms to children
The deal was reached during a California federal court trial over claims brought by 29 states, averting one of the highest-profile tests yet of allegations that social media companies harmed young users. Just days before jury selection began on August 12, a federal appeals court declined to halt the trial.
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TikTok reaches $400 million settlement with US Justice Department over children's privacy
TikTok has agreed to a $400 million settlement with the US Department of Justice. This resolution addresses allegations of violating federal children's privacy laws. The company will pay $300 million immediately and $100 million later. This action follows a 2024 lawsuit concerning data collection practices. The settlement aims to protect children's online privacy and data security.
US teen drops lawsuit against Meta, Google and Snap ahead of trial
The plaintiff, a 15-year-old girl from New Jersey identified in California court records as P. M-Y., had alleged the platforms' owners - Meta Platforms, Google and Snap Inc - contributed to her social media addiction, depression and self-harm.
Lawyers square off in fight over voice data used to train AI
Ross Kimbarovsky of Loevy & Loevy is representing the plaintiffs - a group of journalists, podcasters and audiobook narrators - in the proposed class action lawsuits. He said each of the defendants faces hundreds of millions of dollars in potential damages.
Teen drops landmark social media addiction case against Meta, Google, Snap
A 15-year-old girl dropped her lawsuit against Meta, Google, and Snap Inc. She had alleged social media addiction and mental health issues. Her attorney stated the dismissal allows her client to resume her life. TikTok had previously settled her claims, while other cases proceed. Companies deny allegations and state they protect young users.
Spanish consumer group seeks to sue Google in data row
A Spanish consumer group has begun legal steps against Google, accusing it of collecting sensitive personal data without proper privacy safeguards. The group says millions of Android users may be affected and plans a collective lawsuit seeking compensation. Google denies the claims, calling them misleading and intrusive.
Google privacy lawsuit: Check if you’re eligible for the $425 million payout and how to claim it
Google faces a massive payout of $425 million due to privacy violations. Millions of users may be eligible for compensation. This stems from allegations that Google continued collecting data even when activity tracking was turned off. The verdict is currently under appeal. Affected users should await official notifications for claim procedures. This situation highlights ongoing concerns about online privacy controls.
Google must pay $425 million in class action over privacy, jury rules
A US jury ordered Google to pay $425 million for collecting user data despite tracking being turned off. The case involved privacy violations affecting millions. Though Google denies wrongdoing and plans to appeal, the verdict highlights growing scrutiny over its data practices. The users had been seeking more than $31 billion in damages.
Judge rejects class action for Google privacy lawsuit
A US judge has ruled that Google users cannot sue as a group over claims the company collected data without consent when Chrome wasn’t synced. The proposed class action was dismissed permanently. The court said individual consent must be assessed case-by-case, making a group claim inappropriate.
Google agrees to pay $1.4 billion to settle two privacy lawsuits
Google's settlement is the latest legal setback for the tech giant. Over the past two years, Google has lost a string of antitrust cases after being found to have a monopoly over its app store, search engine and advertising technology. It has spent the past three weeks in the search case trying to fend off a U.S. government request to break up its business.
Google can question Texas officials in privacy lawsuit, appeals court rules
The Texas appeals court has ruled in favor of Google, allowing the company to question Texas officials regarding a lawsuit that claims Google collected biometric data without consent. The lawsuit alleges violations of state privacy laws through the use of Google products such as Photos and Assistant.
Google must face mobile phone privacy class action, possible trial
Google failed to persuade a federal judge to dismiss a privacy class action lawsuit, which claimed the company tracked personal data, even after users disabled tracking settings. Chief Judge Richard Seeborg allowed the case, initiated in July 2020, to proceed, citing concerns over Google's vague disclosures. The trial is scheduled for August 18.
Bits & Bytes: Meta beats lawsuit over Apple privacy
In a decision, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers also rejected claims that Meta concealed former COO Sheryl Sandberg’s use of company resources on personal matters, including her wedding and her book Lean In.
US appeals court revives Google privacy class action
Google said in a statement: "We disagree with this ruling and are confident the facts of the case are on our side. Chrome Sync helps people use Chrome seamlessly across their different devices and has clear privacy controls." The appeals court returned the case to US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, who had dismissed it in December 2022.
Google to destroy browsing data to settle consumer privacy lawsuit
Users alleged that Google's analytics, cookies and apps let the Alphabet unit improperly track people who set Google's Chrome browser to "Incognito"and other browsers to "private" browsing mode.
Google settles $5-billion consumer privacy lawsuit
The settlement terms were not disclosed, but the lawyers said they have agreed to a binding term sheet through mediation, and expected to present a formal settlement for court approval by February 24, 2024.
Google fails to end $5 billion consumer privacy lawsuit
A US judge rejected Google's bid to dismiss a lawsuit claiming it invaded the privacy of millions of people by secretly tracking their internet use.
Snapchat agrees to pay $35 million over illegal user data collection in US
Snapchat will be paying the amount for violating Illinois's biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
Google, YouTube content providers must face US children's privacy lawsuit
The lawsuit alleged that Google's data collection violated similar state laws, and that YouTube content providers such as Hasbro Inc, Mattel Inc, the Cartoon Network and DreamWorks Animation lured children to their channels, knowing that they would be tracked.
Texas sues Google for capturing biometric data of millions without consent
Texas sues Google for allegedly capturing biometric data of millions without consent
Google 'private browsing' mode not really private, Texas lawsuit says
Texas, Indiana, Washington State and the District of Columbia filed separate suits against Google in January in state courts over what they called deceptive location-tracking practices that invade users' privacy.
Three US states, DC sue Google over location-tracking
"Google falsely led consumers to believe that changing their account and device settings would allow customers to protect their privacy and control what personal data the company could access," Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine's office said
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai can be questioned in privacy lawsuit, judge rules
In the lawsuit filed in June 2020, users accused Google of illegally invading their privacy by tracking internet use while Google Chrome browsers were set in "private" mode.
Google's location-tracking tactics troubled its own engineers, unsealed documents reveal
The files, unsealed late last week, reveal that Google knew it had a massive problem on its hands after an AP article published in August 2018 explained how the company continued to track users' whereabouts even after they had disabled the feature Google called "location history". The released documents include internal Google emails.
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