A federal jury in San Francisco decided that Google must pay $425 million for breaking user privacy rules. The trial was about claims that Google collected data from millions of people, even when they turned off tracking in their Google accounts.
The class action lawsuit, filed in July 2020, said Google got data through apps like Uber, Venmo, and Instagram, which use Google’s analytics services, even with privacy turned on.
Nearly 98 million users and 174 million devices were affected. The users asked for more than $31 billion in damages. The jury found Google guilty of two out of three privacy violation claims but said the company was not trying to harm users on purpose, so there are no extra penalties.
📱 Google told to pay $425m for invading users’ privacyhttps://t.co/9z15x5h0CV
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) September 4, 2025Google denied any wrongdoing and said the data was not personal, was given fake names, and was stored safely. Google also said the information was not linked back to individual accounts. A Google spokesperson confirmed the verdict but did not make any further comments.
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U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg said the case was a class action, covering people affected over eight years. Earlier in 2025, Google had paid $1.4 billion to settle another privacy lawsuit in Texas. In April 2024, Google also agreed to delete billions of private browsing records, including those from “Incognito” mode.
Google must pay US$425 million in class action over privacy, jury rules https://t.co/sYxZ05TCoO
— CTV News (@CTVNews) September 4, 2025This ruling shows rising worry about how tech companies collect and use people’s online data. It may lead companies to improve privacy protections and be clearer with users. For more updates about Google’s privacy cases, check news sources like The New York Times or TechCrunc
