Google will pay $135 million to settle illegal data collection lawsuit

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Google has agreed to pay a whopping $135 million to settle a massive lawsuit brought by Android users who claimed the company was secretly harvesting their personal data without consent. The allegations date back to November 2017, when Google allegedly began collecting cellular data from phones purchased through carriers, even when apps were closed or location features were disabled.

According to sources, affected users believed that Google's use of their data for marketing and product development constituted "conversion," a serious offense under US law where one party takes property with the intention of depriving others of it. The plaintiffs' lawyer, Glen Summers, described the settlement as potentially the largest in its kind.

Under the terms of the agreement, each user involved in the lawsuit would be entitled to up to $100 from Google, which denies any wrongdoing and has agreed to seek consent during the setup process of a new phone going forward. To ensure transparency, a toggle will be added to enable users to easily disable data transfer. Additionally, Alphabet-owned Google will adjust its terms of service accordingly.

The settlement marks another significant payout for Google this week, following an agreement to pay $68 million earlier on January 26 regarding claims that Google Assistant had been spying on users after being triggered by misheard wake words. In both cases, the company has denied any wrongdoing in the respective class action suits.
 
🤔📊 OMG what a massive payout for Google! I mean, $135 million is a whole lotta cash 🤑. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how they were secretly collecting data without consent, even when apps were closed or location features were disabled 🚫. It's crazy to think about all the users who might have been affected by this and not even known it 💔.

I'm glad that Google is taking steps to change their ways though 🔄. The toggle to disable data transfer is a great move 👍, and I hope more companies will follow suit 🔒. This settlement also highlights how important transparency is in the digital age 📱. It's refreshing to see Google admitting they did something wrong and making amends 💯.

But let's be real... $100 per user is kinda low considering all this 🤑. I think some users might have been expecting a bigger chunk of change 🤑😒. Nonetheless, it's a good step in the right direction for Google, and I'm curious to see how they'll implement these changes 💻! 👀
 
Ugh I'm so relieved 🙌 this is finally over! I remember back in 2018 when my sister was all up in arms about an ad on her phone that she swore was not what it actually was 😂, and then there were those memes going around about Google's data collection practices... yeah, people weren't happy. And now we know the truth 💸, Google is paying out a small fortune to people who didn't even realize their personal data was being harvested 🤯. Like, who does that? I guess it just goes to show that these big corporations have to be held accountable for their actions 🙏. It's not like they're just going to magically change overnight... but this settlement is a step in the right direction 💪.
 
dude... think about it 🤔 like google's just giving away millions of bucks to cover their own behind 😏 they're basically saying "hey, we messed up" and that's it 👌 meanwhile, they get to keep on collecting all our personal data in the first place 🤑 what's really going on here? are they trying to buy everyone off so we won't ask more questions about their whole "conversion" thing? 💭 maybe they just want to avoid a bigger PR disaster... or maybe it's something even more sinister 🔮
 
I'm kinda surprised they're paying out so much 🤔... but at the same time, it's not like they were hiding this info or something. I mean, it was pretty obvious that Google was collecting data on users, especially with those location features and whatnot. Still, $135 million is a whoppin' amount of cash 💸. And good for them adding that toggle to disable data transfer - about time someone made it easy to opt out 🙏. The thing is, I'm not convinced Google didn't know some people were using their services without giving consent... but I guess you can't fight city hall or whatever 😐. It's all just part of the game, right? 💸
 
Ugh, I'm not surprised they just settled this lawsuit for $135 mil 🤑😒. It's all about covering their tracks and avoiding a major PR disaster. Those Android users were probably just lucky to have been able to gather enough evidence to take Google down 😂. And now they're going to get a measly $100 from each user, which is basically pocket change for a company like Google 💸. I mean, what's the point of even having a toggle to disable data transfer? It's just going to be some obscure setting that users will probably never bother to use 🤷‍♂️. And don't even get me started on how long it took them to agree to seek consent in the first place... seems like they were trying to avoid taking responsibility for their own mistakes 👎.
 
🤦‍♂️ So now Google's all like "oops, we messed up" and gives you a measly $100 for all that invasive data harvesting they did without your consent 🤑. I mean, who doesn't love getting paid back for having their personal info stolen in the first place? And let's be real, if you're one of the unlucky ones who got "converted" (lol) by Google, you're basically just gonna lose $80 out of that $100. Still, I guess it's a step in the right direction...or at least a nice fat payout to settle some people's scores 🤑👀
 
🤔 like how did they even find out Google was doing this? didn't know it was a thing to harvest data without consent 📊... sounds like Google's been sneaky for ages, right? 🤫 wonder if other companies do the same thing too... 135 million is a lot of $$$, hope users get some real justice from this settlement 💸. also curious about what kind of "conversion" law in US means exactly 🤔, don't know much about it beyond that it's a big deal 😬. Google's all like they're being transparent now, but I'm still skeptical 🙄... did they really get caught out by one group of users or was this just a mass thing? 🤷‍♀️
 
OH MY GOSH, THIS IS SO WEIRD!!! i mean google is basically saying sorry for using our data without asking and they're gonna add a toggle so we can control it? that's kinda cool i guess but also kinda weird that they didn't ask permission in the first place 🤯 it's like they were trying to harvest all this info from us without telling us it was happening. anyway, $135 million is MEGA $$$ and i hope it makes google be more transparent about their data collection practices 🤑 but still, what if we didn't wanna share our data in the first place? shouldn't we have a choice? 🤔
 
I'm low-key impressed that Google finally admitted they were doing some sketchy stuff with user data 🤔. I mean, it's crazy to think about how much of our personal info we're willing to share just for the sake of convenience. Like, who needs their location or browsing history being tracked down when you're just trying to get your favorite memes on social media? 😂 But seriously, this settlement feels like a win for users everywhere – it's about time someone held Google accountable for respecting our boundaries 🙏. Now we just gotta make sure they follow through on the consent thingy and actually put that toggle in place 💪
 
🤔 so like what's crazy is that even though they're paying out a ton of money, google still thinks it didn't do anything wrong 🤑 but i guess it's good that they agreed to give users more control over their data and stuff... like a toggle to disable data transfer, that's a pretty cool idea 🤖 and i'm curious to see how this affects other tech companies too... are they all going to start doing the same thing or will google be the only one getting called out for its sneaky practices? 🤔
 
🤩 Can't believe how much Google is giving back! I mean, $135 million? That's a small fortune! 🤑 It's like they're trying to make up for it by showing everyone that they value users' privacy (for real this time!). I think it's awesome that they agreed to add that toggle so we can easily opt out of data transfer. It's about time! 💻 And, you know what? I'm actually kinda impressed that they'll be seeking consent during the setup process from now on. That's like, a total game-changer (in a good way). 🙌 Let's just hope they follow through and this is just the beginning of some real positive change for users everywhere! 😊
 
🤦‍♂️ I'm kinda surprised they agreed to settle this for $135 million... it's a lot of cash! I mean, I know Google's got deep pockets, but still. It just goes to show how important it is to be transparent with users' data. I feel like we've been saying this for years now - "your data is yours, not theirs". The fact that they're adding a toggle to disable data transfer is a good start, though. Hope more companies take note and follow suit 😊
 
It's like, you think about it... we're living in a world where our personal data is like, super valuable 💻💸. And Google, as one of the biggest players out there, has been collecting all this info without so much as a by-your-leave 🙄. It makes you wonder what other secrets they might be keeping, right?

I mean, think about it, we're basically signing over our lives to these companies when we agree to their terms of service 📝. And if we don't read the fine print (because let's be real, who has time for that?)... well, then we're just giving them free reign 👑.

But at the same time, it's also kinda cool that Google is acknowledging this and trying to make things right 💯. I mean, $135 million isn't nothing 😅. And hey, if they're going to be more transparent about data collection... who knows, maybe we'll start making some changes in our own lives 🔄.

It just goes to show that we all have to stay on top of these things and make sure our data is being protected 🔒. Can't let the big guys walk all over us 💪.
 
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