Google has likely faced thousands of lawsuits since its creation. But in the past few days, the search giant can't seem to catch a break. Just days ago, it settled a $68 million lawsuit. Now, the company has agreed to pay $135 million to settle another case accusing it of illegally collecting consumers' cellular data.
The case, a class action filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, will see class members receive monetary payments from the settlement fund.
Specifically, plaintiffs had accused Google, beginning in 2017, of designing "the Android operating system to collect vast amounts of information about its users, which Google uses to generate billions of dollars in profit annually by selling targeted digital advertisements and improving products like Google Maps." Beyond the payment, the settlement requires Google to alter its Google Play terms of service and seek consent before collecting users' data during device setup.
In response, Google claimed this was a mischaracterization of industry standards. "We are pleased to resolve this case, which mischaracterised standard industry practices that keep Android safe,” said Jose Castaneda, a company spokesperson.
To clarify what Google labels a "mischaracterization," Castaneda explained the company would provide more disclosures to help people understand how its services function. He stated that the updates would shed more light on Google Play services and cellular data use, while insisting this does not change how Google operates. Google denies any wrongdoing in the settlement, though individual payments to class members were capped at $100.
This settlement follows a long history of similar agreements, from the recent $68 million settlement to a $1.4 billion settlement in Texas in 2025 and a $93 million settlement in California in 2023.
For a company as large as Google, lawsuits are a constant reality. Yet this case in particular highlights the growing tension big tech companies face in balancing their business models with the imperative to safeguard user privacy.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
