TECH NEWS – It’s just another drop in the ocean for Alphabet, Google’s parent company—so don’t expect anything to change because of it.

Tech giants continue to face mounting regulatory pressure, especially with tighter privacy laws and harsher penalties for violations. Google has been hit with lawsuits on multiple fronts, and the trouble isn’t over yet: the company has now been found guilty of mishandling Android user data. Reports indicate that it’s been fined for failing to properly manage personal data and falling short of data protection standards.

As tech continues its relentless march forward, concerns over digital privacy and transparency are only growing. Google has long faced criticism for collecting data from Android smartphones, especially given the limited built-in privacy controls compared to Apple’s iOS. Now, a California jury has ruled that the company mishandled user data, resulting in a fine of $314.6 million—a clear-cut violation, they said.

According to Reuters, the plaintiffs—who accused Google of collecting data from their Android devices without their consent—won the case. What’s more, the data collection occurred even when the phones weren’t actively in use. The class-action suit was originally filed in 2019 by roughly 14 million Android users in California, all of whom argued that Google’s background data harvesting severely infringed on their privacy rights.

The data allegedly ended up fueling Google’s targeted advertising operations. The lawsuit also claimed that even mobile data was used without users’ awareness, further eroding trust and confidentiality. Responding to the ruling, Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said the jury misunderstood the operations involved and insisted the features were critical for maintaining Android’s security and reliability.

In court, Google argued that users had already given consent through the terms of service and privacy policy. The company also maintained that its data collection didn’t cause any direct harm. Since Google has yet to appeal the decision, the damages won’t be finalized until the legal process is complete. While it’s unclear how long that might take, the case shines a light on rising public awareness around data collection practices—and a growing intolerance for privacy violations.

Source: WCCFTech, Reuters