Since the era of the smartphone began, regulations around the use of your private data and information have seen many changes, leading to the blurring of legal lines. But iPhone users, in particular, may have suffered a massive privacy breach by none other than the search engine wizards Google.
An ongoing court case against Google has recently been given a new lease of life. It’s a case that could have big implications for the use of your phone data. Here’s everything you need to know about the ongoing campaign and lawsuit.
What is the ongoing iPhone legal battle all about?
The issue involves a group called ‘Google You Owe Us’, who claim that between June 2011 and February 2012, naughty Google got hold of the personal information of iPhone users by bypassing privacy settings.
This case went to court previously and didn’t get very far. But a recent Court of Appeal judgement has now allowed the case to proceed.
Arguments have been made that Google used crafty algorithms to trick phones into giving up personal info from the Safari browser.
When will the case be resolved?
Big court cases like this can take a long time to process. There’s always mounds of paperwork and bureaucracy to overcome.
On top of all that, Google is probably going to have one of the best hotshot legal teams in the world fighting against this.
The format the case is taking is similar to class-action suits that are more common in America. This is where one person can represent a whole group of other people, acting on their behalf. I’m sure they’d struggle to squeeze the estimated 4.4 million iPhone owners into a courtroom!
How much compensation might iPhone users get?
This won’t be known until the whole legal process is complete. It could be months or even years, and there will no doubt be lots of appeals before everything concludes.
However, it is possible that all of this could end in some kind of payout for old iPhone owners. However, users could equally end up with nothing, even if the ‘Google You Owe Us’ campaign is successful.
Regardless of whether any money comes out of this, it should serve as a warning for other companies around misuse and access to data.
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About the author
George is a writer and qualified financial adviser focused on educating others in personal finance & investing.
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