Menu

News

Bipartisan AG Group Supports Google Users in Case Alleging Privacy Violations

  • A bipartisan coalition of 19 AGs filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of Google users who alleged that the company violated privacy agreements and used their personal information (PI) for profit.
  • The plaintiffs in Calhoun v. Google, LLC argued that Google collected and used their personal information despite their opt-out of syncing their Chrome web browsers to a Google account. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted Google’s motion for summary judgment, finding that the consumers had consented to the use of their PI.
  • In the brief, the AGs argue that that the district court applied the wrong standard and should have instead determined how a reasonable user—rather than an expert—would have understood the privacy agreements at issue, and that this case fits into a larger pattern of Google allegedly violating its users’ trust.
  • The AGs ask the Ninth Circuit to reverse the district court’s grant of summary judgment and remand the case for further proceedings.