This verdict adds to Google’s mounting legal challenges over privacy violations, unauthorized data tracking, and user consent transparency, especially as global scrutiny over tech companies' data collection practices continues to intensify.
A California jury has ordered Google to pay $314.6 million in damages to Android smartphone users in the state, following a class action lawsuit accusing the tech giant of improperly using consumers' cellular data without consent. Filed in 2019, the lawsuit represents nearly 14 million Californians, and alleged that Google collected user data even when Android phones were idle, leveraging this for services like targeted advertising, thereby consuming users’ data at their expense.
The San Jose jury found that Google’s background data transmissions—performed without user knowledge or explicit consent—constituted an unfair practice. Plaintiffs called it a “mandatory and unavoidable burden” placed on Android device users solely for Google’s commercial benefit.
In its defense, Google maintained that no user harm occurred, and stated that Android users had consented to such data transfers under its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. However, the jury disagreed, delivering a sharp rebuke to the tech giant’s practices.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said the company would appeal the decision, asserting the verdict "misunderstands services that are critical to the security, performance, and reliability of Android devices."
This is not the end of Google’s legal troubles on the issue. A separate federal class action, covering Android users in 49 other U.S. states, is currently in progress and scheduled for trial in April 2026. That case could expose the company to even broader financial liability, depending on its outcome.
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