Google faces UK class action over data snooping

A British organization representing 5.4 million people in England and Wales brought a massive lawsuit against the American tech-giant Google on November 30 in the United Kingdom, accusing the California-based company of illegally harvesting data from its customers' iPhones to then use for individually targeted advertising.

Led by Richard Lloyd, the former CEO of the consumer organization 'Which?,' the campaign group 'Google You Owe Us' alleges that the browsing histories of millions of iPhone users were collected using trackable data packets popularly known as 'cookies' installed on the internet platform 'Safari,' which bypassed the program's default privacy settings. The period relevant to the court case runs from June 2011 to February 2012.

Google took advantage of a loophole within the iPhone's Safari browser during this period to collect information on users, including Internet browsing history. The company then sold this information to advertisers. The iPhone's default privacy settings block sites from tracking your activity through cookies unless you specifically interact with the website (filling out a form, etc.) Google was able to bypass this through its (now defunct) Google+. If you were logged in to Google+, Google sent an "invisible" form to Apple on the user's behalf (and without their consent) that allowed for cookie tracking.

"Through this action, we will send a strong message to Google and other tech giants in Silicon Valley that we're not afraid to fight back if our laws are broken," Lloyd explains in an interview with The Guardian. 

Although they could each get several hundreds of pounds if the case were to be succesful, the group says its objective is as much about accountability as compensation.

A similar case brought by three individuals to the English High Court in 2015 was settled confidentially, but "opened the door" in principle to a new case, according to Google You Owe Us. The group says its suit is the first collective action of its kind against a major tech company for misuse of personal data.

It is expected to be brought to court early next year, although no date has yet been set for a hearing. Google You Owe Us said the case is being financed to the tune of $20.9 million (€17.6 million) by Therium, an outfit which funds litigation efforts in exchange for a share of any award.