Misleading data protection: Google to pay 425 million US dollars
Google collects data about users, even if the recording of app activities has been explicitly switched off. A fine is now due for this.
(Image: Schager/Shutterstock.com)
Google is to pay 425 million US dollars (365 million euros) in the USA because the company has recorded activities on the internet and in apps, even if users have explicitly switched this off. This was determined by the jury of a federal court in a class action lawsuit, reports the US legal magazine Courthouse News Service. The jury would have awarded damages to the plaintiffs because the collected data had a value and, in the case of those who had deactivated tracking, probably even more than the average. However, because they had not suffered any damages, the penalty was not higher. The plaintiffs themselves had demanded over 30 billion US dollars. According to the jury, Google would not have suffered any loss of revenue without the data.
Fierce criticism of Google
The class action lawsuit was filed in summer 2020. It was argued that Google promises users control over their data and specifically offers them the option of preventing the recording of their web and app activities. However, if this was used, data would still be collected. This is done via the Firebase software development kit (SDK). Apps based on this register every time an app page is called up and report at least the URL of the page, the referring page (referrer) and the name of the page (title) to Google servers. Google is literally forcing the use of Firebase, according to the accusation. Without it, there would be no access to Google Analytics or Google's advertising mediation. Firebase is also mandatory for marketing the app in Google's Play Store.
Videos by heise
In its closing argument, the plaintiff has now repeated these allegations once again, writes Courthouse News Service. The claim that users can control, view and delete the data is false. Google's representative has contradicted this and assured that users are informed about what data is collected even after tracking is switched off. Furthermore, no one was harmed in this case. During the final hearing, one juror was also asked directly whether he would now switch off tracking after the insights. "Now we know that it won't help," he replied to the laughter of the lawyer.
The case is called Anibal Rodriguez et al v. Google et al and was heard in the US Federal District Court for Northern California under case number 5:20-cv-04688.
(mho)
