KUALA LUMPUR – A jury in California has ordered Google to pay more than US$314 million (RM1.48 billion) to Android smartphone users in the state over claims that the company misused mobile phone data without user consent.
Reuters reported that the jury found Google liable for sending and receiving data from Android devices while they were idle, without users’ permission — conduct the lawsuit described as “mandatory and unavoidable burdens” imposed for the company’s benefit.
The verdict was delivered in a class-action lawsuit filed in 2019 on behalf of approximately 14 million Android users in California.
Plaintiffs said Google used the data collected from idle phones for purposes such as targeted advertising, which consumed users’ cellular data at their own expense.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said the company would appeal the verdict, arguing that the decision “misunderstands services that are critical to the security, performance, and reliability of Android devices.”
The plaintiffs’ attorney, Glen Summers, said the outcome “forcefully vindicates the merits of this case and reflects the seriousness of Google’s misconduct.”
Google had contended in court that users gave consent through its terms of service and privacy policies, and that no actual harm was caused.
Reuters also reported that a separate federal lawsuit with similar claims on behalf of Android users in the other 49 US states is scheduled for trial in April 2026. – July 4, 2025