Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Google Ordered to Pay $314.6 Million for Unconsented Android Data Transfers

The company will appeal after jurors ruled its background data transfers violated consent, imposing cellular data costs on users

Stock photograph showing the exterior of the new headquarters of Google is seen at 550 Washington Street in Hudson Square on January 09, 2024 in New York City.
A Google logo is seen at a company research facility in Mountain View, California, U.S., May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Image
Image

Overview

  • A San Jose jury found Google liable for sending and receiving information from idle Android devices without user permission
  • The $314.6 million verdict stems from a 2019 class action on behalf of about 14 million California Android users
  • Plaintiffs argued that the covert transfers created mandatory and unavoidable burdens on consumers’ cellular data plans
  • Google says it will challenge the decision, maintaining that such transfers are critical for device security and covered by its terms of service
  • A related federal lawsuit representing Android users in the other 49 states is set to go to trial in April 2026