You could be one of the millions of American Android users eligible to receive a payment from Google’s $135 million lawsuit settlement. It affects people who’ve had Android phones going back nearly a decade, but you’ll want to sign up for a claim fast, because payments may not be guaranteed after Tuesday, June 23.
This class action lawsuit, Joseph Taylor v. Google (PDF), alleges Google “effectively forces users to subsidize its surveillance by secretly programming Android devices to constantly transmit user information,” which means the Android OS was automatically sending Google user data from their carriers, without users knowing or being able to opt out. According to the lawsuit, this surveillance occurred even when people shut down apps or disabled their location tracking.
The lawsuit also makes another significant allegation: that Google’s data-collection practices constitute a crime called conversion. Conversion occurs when one party takes property from another with the intent to deprive them of it. No prior conversion case has ever settled for a sum as large as $135 million.
Google has denied wrongdoing, and the court has not ruled whether the company violated any laws. Regardless, Google has agreed to settle with class members, and the court has preliminarily approved the settlement payment.
“We are pleased to resolve this case, which mischaracterized standard industry practices that keep Android safe. We’re providing additional disclosures to give people more information about how our services work,” said Google spokesperson José Castañeda.
Where do I go to file my claim?
You’ll need info from a letter or email you should have received to sign up for a claim.
The official settlement website is live now, but payment is subject to the court’s final approval meeting. Note that you will need to submit a Notice ID, which you should have received in a letter or email if you’re eligible.
The final approval is currently scheduled for June 23. The meeting will confirm the payment amount, allocate attorneys’ fees, and create a distribution plan to ensure the money reaches eligible class members. Any changes to the scheduling of the final approval meeting will be reflected on the settlement website.
If you fit all of the criteria to be a class member in this case, you’re automatically eligible to receive a part of the settlement payment sometime after the final approval hearing. But you’re not guaranteed to receive any money unless you select a preferred method of payment on the settlement website by June 23.
The lawsuit could have significant implications for data privacy and other data collection practices. It will also force a change to Google’s terms of service. The company has agreed to obtain more explicit consent from Android users when first using new phones, including a toggle button to turn off certain types of data collection and clearer disclosure of data collection practices.
You’ll have to fill out your payment details on the official website in order to qualify for the settlement payment.
Which Android users can be part of the Google settlement?
You may have an Android phone, but that doesn’t automatically make you eligible to claim money from this suit. While the settlement payment and distribution plan haven’t been confirmed, there’s a very specific outline detailing who is a settlement member.
In order to join, you must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be a living person in the United States or its territories.
- Used a mobile phone with Android OS and a cellular data plan anytime between Nov. 12, 2017 and this settlement’s final approval.
- Did not participate in the class-action lawsuit Csupo v. Google LLC (PDF). This case centered on the same allegations but involved only California residents. You can not be a class member in both suits.
Android users had the option to opt out of any payments, but this choice ended on May 29. The option existed for those who wanted to pursue their own lawsuits against Google for this data surveillance. Joining the class action lawsuit would waive this ability.
How much will the Android data harvesting settlement pay?
While we don’t know exactly how much each class member will receive from the settlement, there is an upper bound. Payments are capped at $100 per person, so don’t expect to get more than that.
A portion of the settlement money will first be allocated to attorneys’ fees, and then the rest of the cash will be equally distributed to class members. If any money is left over after the first round of distributions, it will be portioned out in a smaller second round of settlement payments to eligible members of the settlement class.
Even if you’re a class member, you still have to input your preferred payment details via the official settlement website in order to guarantee the money will be distributed correctly.
Another settlement involving Google’s ad targeting
This isn’t the only class-action suit alleging that Google’s ad targeting practices have crossed the line. Google recently agreed to a $68 million preliminary settlement in another case, this one involving Google Assistant (now being replaced with Gemini for Home).
Users alleged that smart devices used Google Assistant to listen to them without their activation, leading to ad targeting based on information they hadn’t willingly shared. In that settlement, payments will be made automatically. No claim form is required to receive a payment.