this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2026
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Google has agreed to a preliminary $135 million settlement in a class action lawsuit brought by Android users who accused it of harvesting their data without consent. The suit alleged that since November 12, 2017, Google has been illegally collecting cellular data from phones purchased through carriers, even when apps were closed or location features were disabled.

As reported by Reuters, the affected users believed Google using their data for marketing and product development meant it was guilty of "conversion." In US law, conversion occurs when one party takes the property of another with "the intent to deprive them of it" or "exert property rights over it."

Subject to approval from a judge, a settlement of $135 million was filed in a San Jose federal court earlier this week. The payout would be one of, if not the largest ever in a case of this nature, according to Glen Summers, a lawyer for the plaintiffs.

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[–] REDACTED@infosec.pub 2 points 1 hour ago

Isn't that like three days of revanue?

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago

I’ll expect my free credit score check sometime in the next 2 years.

[–] dandylion@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 day ago

per affected user, right?

[–] sbbq@lemmy.zip 88 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Cost of doing business for them, I'm sure.

[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 26 points 2 days ago

Not even worth a line item on the budget.

[–] Pika@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Concidering that they were estimated to be making 31 billion USD off the android ecosystem alone ~~back in 2016~~ over 10 years 2006-2016, im sure it's not even a drop in the bucket now.

[–] TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com 36 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Guy made millions by scamming people. Court: "I will fine you ONE HUNDRED DOLLLURRRRS! That will teach you!" okay 🤷

[–] 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The courts are already bought. This is just a show for pretending there's "accountability" or "look we're doing things to rich corps too".

[–] TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 23 hours ago

It's ok if you don't pay taxes but if you break the law, we'll take a small cut of the profits.

[–] reksas@sopuli.xyz 25 points 1 day ago (1 children)

isnt that amount like fining regular person couple of hundred?

[–] modus@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] deliriousdreams@fedia.io 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

More like fining a regular person $20.

[–] radiouser@crazypeople.online 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Even less. Google's net worth recently passed the $4 trillion mark.

so; $135 million is ~0.003375% of $4 trillion.

So it's more like fining a regular person... I don't know? But yeah, big figure to impress the ants and literal crumbs to them.

[–] circuitfarmer 37 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Really need to start calculating settlements like this as a function of profits. Otherwise this is just factored in as a business cost and does not actually apply as a consequence.

$135 million may seem like a lot to regular people, but it's not for Google. If we are letting these tacit monopolies stay in place, then the kid gloves at least need to come off when they're being dealt with. Scale up consequences so they are appropriate for the size of the corporation.

[–] lmr0x61@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This is correct on an order of magnitude no single person can really wrap their brains around. Alphabet (the parent company of Google) made $121 billion in 2025. Not gross revenue—net profits (source). This “fine” is about 0.1% of what the execs and shareholders take home. That cost, in their revenue, wouldn’t register as any change within their accounting.

To call it a “rounding error” would be a huge exaggeration.

[–] Pika@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

as much as I would love this. If it ever did become a thing, what you would see wouldn't be companies taking the fine, you would see companies "off-branching" and having income be reported on a parent company that is contracted to the offending company. like in the case of alphabet, they would likely just migrate the android division to be a contractee that they have full control over that they never terminate the contract for. They no longer "own" android legally, they contract android to do their bidding. So when it ends up in court, it ends up as a "well Android did it not us" much like how Amazons third party delivery services worked when they tried to enforce unionization laws.

[–] circuitfarmer 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yeah, no argument there. But I would argue companies do that kind of thing already for various reasons (many having to do with taxes).

Overall, I don't think it's a good argument against regulation to say "let's regulate less because people will cheat". People will always cheat.

[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 8 points 1 day ago

It's what the EU is doing now

[–] thejml@sh.itjust.works 41 points 2 days ago

Add another two zeros and then its a more positive story.

[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 24 points 1 day ago (2 children)

This shit doesn't stop until the people that actually do this are subject to actual criminal penalties.

[–] kalkulat@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

Cash they've got. Jail time for CEOs will work better.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Or subject to an angry mob guillotines all the CEO’s, politicians, walstreet criminals and shareholder scum

[–] Mynameisallen@lemmy.zip 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Wow! So everyone gets what $1? Lesson learned I’m sure

[–] Kissaki@feddit.org 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The subheadline:

Android users involved in the class action could lawsuit could receive up to $100 each.

lol at the grammar though

[–] Pika@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago

some important clarification though, that is a hard cap, realistically it will likely be quite a bit less.

[–] escapeVelocity@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago

Nice. All that money will be invested in reducing dependence to GAFAM right?

[–] fyrilsol@kbin.melroy.org 10 points 1 day ago

Hope they're happy with their $10 payout.

I only took part of one class action lawsuit and it was against Facebook. I still look back on that and feel a little regretful. I'm only one dude so I can't possibly hope to take on Facebook solely in a court environment. I got $14 payout. But in doing so, means I can't ever legally take action against them anyways.

So, don't settle for this. Keep Google accountable.

[–] PryDer@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Problem is that there's no real alternative right now. It's either google or apple... I own a Samsung and I can't even root it anymore

[–] thenoirwolfess@lemmynsfw.com 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

But they won't stop. It's like if some people complained that I've been speeding consistently over the past 15 years, so the state fines me ($3.9T ÷ $130M = 30,000; my monetary worth of £2,000 ÷ 30,000) £0.06 while I'm ripping through a residential area towards a school and continue for the next 15

[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

"Google admits that they are illegally collecting data, pays relative pittance to keep it quiet"

[–] db2@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

135 million? That's a rounding error to the megacorps.

[–] Nioxic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 day ago

IMO they should throw the ceo in jail

[–] palordrolap@fedia.io 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Any C-levels, current or former, who were in charge during the unethical behaviour should be made to pay this. Either they knew or they should have known. Seize their assets, take them back to basic income and lifestyle and only then take the remainder of the fine from the company.

Yeah, I know this is a pipe dream. These people have their arms lodged so deep in politicians it makes their mouths flap, so it'll never happen, but it would stop this sort of behaviour right quick.

[–] ranzispa@mander.xyz 5 points 1 day ago

Agreed, LLC should only cover bankruptcy expenses and not penal responsibilities.

[–] BlackLaZoR@fedia.io 5 points 1 day ago

You make a billions over illegal practice and then pay 130mln penalty. Money checks out

[–] ranzispa@mander.xyz 4 points 1 day ago

I have an Android phone, where's my money?