The legal pressure surrounding Google is intensifying, as the American technology giant was ordered to pay damages of 425 million dollars for systematic violation of the users its. The case was heard in a federal court in San Francisco, which ruled that the company continued to collect data from millions of people even after they had disabled the “Web & App Activity” option in their accounts.
The ruling covers an eight-yearduring which the plaintiffs alleged that Google accessed mobile devices, collected and used personal data without users’ knowledge. The complaints described a practice that directly violated the company’s privacy promises, leading to a class action lawsuit with about 98 million users covered by the ruling.
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Compensation less than requested
The plaintiffs had sought damages in excess of $31 billion, but the court ultimately awarded Google $425 million, finding it liable for two of the three counts of privacy violations. While no malicious intent was found, ruling out punitive damages, the decision remains a significant blow to the company, which is facing a growing number of privacy-related lawsuits.
The plaintiffs' lawyer, David Boies, said that users are "obviously very pleased" with the verdict, stressing that the message to the industry is clear: companies cannot ignore the privacy settings that users themselves choose.
Google's position
Google, for its part, denies misleading users. Company spokesman José Castañeda said the decision “ misrepresents how our products work ” and stressed that the company’s privacy tools “ give people control over their data .” According to him, when users turn off personalization, Google “ honors that choice .”
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During the trial, the company argued that the data it collected was non-personal and stored in encrypted locations , detached from users' identities. It also noted that much of the data was gathered through partnerships with third-party apps, such as Uber , Venmo and Meta 's Instagram , which use Google analytics tools.
Appeal on the horizon
Google has already indicated that it intends to appeal, meaning the case is far from over. However, the verdict is yet another episode in a long series of legal entanglements the company has faced around the world over privacy.
In 2024 alone, Google paid nearly $1.4 billion in a settlement with the state of Texas, while in April of the same year it agreed to destroy billions of records from “private browsing” features to end another lawsuit that accused the company of tracking users even in “incognito” mode.
The privacy stakes
The San Francisco case highlights once again the central issue plaguing big tech companies’ relationship with the public: how much control users actually have over their data. Despite official assurances and privacy tools presented as options, reality often reveals gray areas, where data is still collected in ways that users neither know about nor approve of.
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Given that the case covers 174 million devices, the verdict is expected to have an impact not only on Google but also on the entire digital advertising. Pressure for stricter regulations is likely to intensify, especially at a time when Europe and the US are moving towards stricter oversight of the technology.
While the $425 million fine is not particularly high for Google's financials, the decision carries more symbolic weight. It reminds us that even the largest companies on the planet are not above the law and that users can, through class action lawsuits, demand accountability.
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Google is now in a delicate balance: on the one hand, it wants to be seen as a pioneer in privacy issues; on the other, it continues to rely on a business model based on collecting data for targeted advertising. The outcome of the appeal, as well as future legal battles, will largely determine how its relationship with users and regulators will shape itself in the years to come.
