Google is facing a major lawsuit after it allegedly continues to track mobile app users even after choosing not to share their data. The online giant is accused of monitoring the use of mobile applications by thousands of customers, although it promised that they would be free of any kind of monitoring thanks to the deactivation option. Filed by the Boies Schiller Flexner law firm, the lawsuit now seeks class action status, which means Google could soon face the possibility of having to pay large sums to the people involved.
Google privacy lawsuit
The affected users had disabled the "Web and App Activity" tracking option in their Google account settings, but the company's Firebase software was still monitoring the services they had access to. Google Firebase is a set of software tools that often run beneath the surface of popular apps, allowing departments to send push notifications and announcements to users, as well as store user data and app information. However, the lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, indicates that Google also uses this data to track bugs and errors in certain applications, allowing them to make improvements, while also using usage data to deliver personalized advertising. Google is accused of violating California privacy law and federal wiretap practices. "Even when consumers follow Google's own instructions and turn off web and app activity tracking in their "Privacy Controls," Google still intercepts consumer usage and app browsing communications and personal information," the lawsuit said. "In other words, Google aggressively tracks what consumers browse, view, create, and share online when using apps installed on their mobile devices." Google has yet to comment on the matter, but the news comes weeks after Boies Schiller Flexner filed a separate complaint alleging that users of the Google Chrome browser had violated their privacy. The company is accused of tracking millions of Chrome users, including in incognito mode, and could face a payment of €5 billion if found guilty.- Our pick of the best VPN software to protect you