A court ordered Google to pay $425 million after finding the company misled 98 million users about data collection through its “Web & App Activity” setting[1]. The case revealed Google continued gathering user data via Firebase, a monitoring database embedded in 97% of top Android apps and 54% of leading iOS apps, even after users disabled data collection[1:1].
Google’s internal communications showed the company was “intentionally vague” about its data collection practices because being transparent “could sound alarming to users,” according to district judge Richard Seeborg[1:2].
This ruling adds to Google’s recent privacy settlements, including:
- $392 million paid to 40 states in 2023 for location tracking violations
- $40 million to Washington state for similar location tracking issues
- $1.38 billion to Texas in 2025 over location tracking and incognito mode claims[1:3]
Google plans to appeal the $425 million verdict, with spokesperson Jose Castaneda stating “This decision misunderstands how our products work” and asserting that Google honors user privacy choices[1:4].
$425m is chump change to google, and they’re still trying to get out of it. Shows how unfathomably greedy these parasites are.
Zuckerberg has two $200m yachts. Google execs could probably find $425m in their couch cushions.
What are you guys gonna do with your nickel?
Don’t downplay it – it’s a whole $4! That’s a bowl of soup for all of your privacy. Until they appeal it, that is.
Oh, there’s no way anyone is getting anywhere near (settlement total/number of people). That’s before the lawyer cut.
Again they show us privacy policy never works, libre software does.
They continued harvesting data from users after the users explicitly disabled an option to shut that off. And for that, they owe $4 a person. When are we going to starting fining these companies properly? How about a thousand dollars a person for an infraction like this? Maybe a $98 billion fine might get them to start caring.
We need a dearth penalty for corporations.
That’s going to be $0.80 for each of us
Why don’t we treat them like other criminals.
You’ve done a crime, go to corpo prison for 20 years
Why are we treating corporation, which we “Limit Liability” of the operators already, nicer than we treat humans ?
Like, what happens if you’re found to have done fraud ?
That’s like 5 years in prison isn’t it ?
Don’t necessary put the C-suite in prison, just put the corporation in prison for 5 years. Everyone that works there can work somewhere else during the time out.
Other corporation can fill the vacuum while the criminal corporation is absent ?Because if not, two things are going to happen.
Way more C-unts are going to get Luigi’d
and/or
I’m going to start a criminal corporation and we’re going to mulch cop-babies for protein.
“google mislead ____ about privacy”…no! Really?! They would never!
Don’t they have a rule, “don’t be evil.” oh wait.
I’m sure Google profited more than $425 million by doing so.
This is just part of the cost of doing business.
Yeah these numbers should be reported in % of profits
