Anyone who clicked on a Google search result link between October 2006 and September 2013 is entitled to a portion — however small — of a $23 million settlement the tech giant pledged to pay to resolve a class action lawsuit. unload.
The settlement administrators have set up a website where people can submit claims. According to the site, the estimated individual payout is $7.70. But that figure can fluctuate based on how many people are making valid claims.
Google, owned by Alphabet Inc., agreed to the settlement in August. The consolidated class action lawsuit filed in 2013 accused the company of “storing and knowingly, systematically and repeatedly disclosing” users’ searches and histories to third-party websites and companies.
This, according to the lawsuit, amounted to a violation of privacy law and a violation of Google’s own privacy promise to its users.
The lawsuit argued that Google searches often contain sensitive and “personally identifiable” information, including “users’ real names, street addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, social security numbers, financial account numbers, and more, all of which increase the risk of identity theft.”
Google, which has not admitted wrongdoing, is required as part of the settlement to update its FAQ page and “keywords” page to reveal how searches can be shared with third parties.
A court will decide whether to approve the agreement at a hearing on Oct. 12, according to the claims administrator’s website. It is not clear when the payments will be distributed. Even if the court finally approves the settlement in October, an appeal could delay the process, according to a claim notice from the administrator.
Users wishing to file a claim have until July 31 to submit their full name, address and email address. Anyone wishing to object to or be excluded from the Settlement must submit a form by mail within the same timeframe.
Last year, Meta, Facebook’s parent company, agreed to pay $725 million to settle a similar class action lawsuit over its handling of user data.
