Lawsuit Against Google Gets Green Light From London Court

A U.K. lawsuit filed against Google by millions of iPhone users over data collection claims was given the green light by London appeals judges who overturned an earlier ruling that had thrown out the case, Reuters reported on Wednesday (Oct. 2).

The decision overrules a 2018 lawsuit concerning data Google collected from more than four million iPhone users.

The petitioners claim that between June 2011 and February 2012, Google had illegally bypassed Safari and gained access to users’ browsing data. The group, known as Google You Owe Us, was seeking $3.9 billion in damages.

James Oldnall, the lawsuit’s lead attorney, told Reuters that London’s Court of Appeal ruling “confirmed our view that representative actions are essential for holding corporate giants to account.”

Claimant Richard Lloyd told the news outlet that the decision “sends a very clear message to Google and other large tech companies: you are not above the law.” He added that the legal proceedings would likely be extensive.

“Google can be held to account in this country for misusing people’s personal data, and groups of consumers can together ask the courts for redress when firms profit unlawfully from ‘repeated and widespread’ violations of our data protection rights,” he added.

In October 2018, London’s High Court decided that although Google’s role “was wrongful and a breach of duty,” no one had suffered any damage.

“This case relates to events that took place nearly a decade ago and that we addressed at the time,” a Google spokeswoman told Reuters. “We believe it has no merit and should be dismissed.”

A Google settlement with consumers is getting a second look after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a lower court should review the $8.5 million payout. The settlement was over allegations that Google provided users’ internet search terms to third-party websites. None of the money from the settlement went to the Google users, instead reportedly going to attorneys and privacy advocates.