Google's Privacy Battle: Data Collection on Trial

A federal judge denied Google's request to drop a class action alleging it collected personal data after tracking was disabled. The lawsuit, slated for an August trial, accuses Google of privacy invasion and violating California law. Google's defense insists these accusations misinterpret its privacy controls.

A federal judge has rejected Google's motion to dismiss a privacy class action that accuses the tech giant of collecting personal data from cell phones even after users disabled tracking features. This ruling sets the stage for a trial slated for August.

Chief Judge Richard Seeborg from the federal court in San Francisco found Google's disclosure regarding its Web & App Activity settings inadequate, rejecting the company's claim that users consented to data tracking. Google argued that its basic record-keeping does not harm users; however, the lawsuit claims the company violated California laws by intercepting and saving browsing histories without user consent.

Judge Seeborg noted that Google's actions might be deemed 'highly offensive' by reasonable users, pointing to internal communications that suggested the company intentionally maintained ambiguous disclosures. Google countered that these allegations misrepresent how its services operate and vowed to fight the case in court.

(With inputs from agencies.)