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].
Congrats on the 4 dollars everyone
It’s not going to be $4. It’ll be $4 in Google credit, and you have to use it within 60 days, but they won’t tell you it’s been added to your account so very few people will know about it …
Cool. When can I expect my check to arrive?
I can’t wait to receive my 20$ cheque in the mail…
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You’re not using % correctly. It’s 0.1%
Shit. You’re right. Im just going to delete my comment and stop trying to do math. My apologies everyone!
