Home 禄 Sunday 禄 Technology
Suit against Google over data harvest blocked in UK
Print Edition
London鈥檚 High Court yesterday blocked an attempt to bring legal action against Google over claims it had collected sensitive data from more than 4 million iPhone users although it said the company鈥檚 actions had been 鈥渨rongful.鈥
The claimants had said Google had illegally accessed details of iPhone users鈥 Internet browsing data by bypassing privacy settings on the Safari browser between June 2011 and February 2012.
Richard Lloyd, a consumer activist who was behind the 鈥淕oogle You Owe Us鈥 court challenge, had estimated that about 4.5 million people had been affected by the 鈥淪afari Workaround鈥 and wanted the tech giant to pay out several hundred dollars in damages to each affected individual.
Google had argued the mass case brought by Lloyd, the only named claimant, was not appropriate and should not proceed.
鈥淭here is no dispute that it is arguable that Google鈥檚 alleged role in the collection, collation, and use of data obtained via the Safari Workaround was wrongful, and a breach of duty,鈥 the judge, Mark Warby, said in his ruling.
But he said the case brought by Lloyd did not support the contention that he and those he represented had suffered 鈥渄amage鈥 as specified by Britain鈥檚 Data Protection Act nor could the court allow such representative action to go ahead.
In his ruling, he said the main beneficiaries of the claim would have been those who funded it and the lawyers.
Lloyd said his group, to which 20,000 people had signed up to, would seek permission to appeal the decision.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 judgment is extremely disappointing and effectively leaves millions of people without any practical way to seek redress and compensation when their personal data has been misused,鈥 he said in a statement.
鈥淕oogle鈥檚 business model is based on using personal data to target adverts to consumers and they must ask permission before using this data. The court accepted that people did not give permission in this case yet slammed the door shut on holding Google to account.鈥
A Google spokeswoman said: 鈥淭he privacy and security of our users is extremely important to us. This claim is without merit, and we鈥檙e pleased the Court has dismissed it.鈥
Google remains under pressure from lawmakers and regulators over its privacy practices in the United States, where it has acknowledged making mistakes in the past.
In 2012, it agreed to pay a then-record civil penalty of US$22.5 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it misrepresented to Apple Safari Internet browser users that it would not place tracking 鈥渃ookies鈥 or serve them targeted ads.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
