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].


  1. Malwarebytes - Google misled users about their privacy and now owes them $425m, says court ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

    • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml
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      20 days ago

      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.