TL;DR
- A preliminary settlement has been filed in a class action that claimed Google was quietly transferring Android user data over cellular connections.
- The case hinged on the “conversion” of cellular data purchased from mobile carriers, specifically, which plaintiffs argued is their property.
- Google will pay out $135 million to affected users and make adjustments to Android behavior and terms of service.
Google has agreed to pay $135 million to settle a class action suit over “appropriating” Android users’ mobile data. The suit accused Google of harvesting Android user data over cellular connections without their consent, including at times when Google’s apps were closed on those users’ devices.
As reported by Reuters, a preliminary settlement was filed Tuesday night and is pending approval from a judge. Assuming there aren’t any last-minute changes, anyone in the US (outside of California) who’s accessed the internet using a cellular network on an Android device since November 12, 2017 will be eligible to claim part of the settlement.
