Android phone users may be eligible to claim part of a $135 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit on data collection.
The suit, Taylor v. Google, claims Google “has a dirty little secret,” causing Android mobile devices to transfer a variety of information to Google without user permission, consuming user cellular data.
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According to the settlement website, to qualify for the Android data settlement, a claimant must:
- Be a living person in the U.S.
- Used an Android mobile device with a cellular data plan.
- Accessed the internet between Nov. 12, 2017, and the date when the settlement receives final approval.
- Not be a class member in a similar lawsuit for California residents.
The lawsuit alleges that Google designed its Android system and apps to prevent users from turning off data transfers, and that users had no option to disable them. It argues that this was to Google’s financial benefit.
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According to the suit, much of Google’s information gathering happened to users while “Android devices are in their purses and pockets, and even while sitting seemingly idle on Plaintiffs’ nightstands as they sleep, Google’s Android operating system secretly appropriates cellular data paid for by Plaintiffs to perform ‘passive’ information transfers which are not initiated by any action of the user and are performed without their knowledge.”
The deadline to opt out or object to the settlement is May 29. The final approval hearing is set for June 23.
