A jury in California last week said Google misused cellular data from people who owned smartphones powered by its Android software, and must pay users in the state roughly $314.6 million.
Plaintiffs in the case, which was filed in 2019, accused Google of using the software it built for their smartphones to send “all sorts of information” without their “knowledge or consent,” including when their devices aren’t being used. “Google has programmed its Android operating system and Google applications to cause mobile devices to provide enormous amounts of information to Google, much of which Google uses to further its own corporate interests, including targeted digital advertising,” the initial complaint read.
