Google Is Paying $135 Million to Settle a Data Transfer Lawsuit. Here’s Who Qualifies and How to Claim

The way this story developed is almost subtly amazing. Millions of people went about their daily lives for years, texting, scrolling, and streaming, all without realizing that data they had paid for was allegedly being siphoned off and returned to Google with each tap on their Android screen. Not in a big way. Clearly not. Just steadily, in the background, with screens locked and apps closed.

That is the main allegation in Taylor v. Google LLC, a class-action lawsuit that took years to get to this point and has now resulted in a $135 million settlement, which plaintiffs’ attorneys are claiming is the highest amount ever reached in a conversion case of this type.

Case Name	Taylor v. Google LLC
Defendant	Google LLC
Settlement Amount	$135 Million (no admission of wrongdoing)
Max Payment Per Person	Up to $100 per class member
Estimated Eligible Users	~100 Million Android users in the U.S.
Eligibility Period	November 12, 2017 – Final Approval Date
Allegation	Unauthorized use of users’ paid cellular data to transfer information to Google
Final Approval Hearing	June 23 (date subject to court schedule)
How to Claim	Via the official settlement website using your notice ID and confirmation code
Disqualified Groups	Class members in Csupo v. Google LLC (California-specific lawsuit)
Google’s Response	“We are pleased to resolve this case, which mischaracterized standard industry practices” — spokesperson José Castañeda
Additional Outcome	Google to update Google Play terms of service on passive data transfers

Google, on the other hand, has consented to pay without acknowledging any misconduct. According to Google’s spokesperson José Castañeda, the lawsuit misrepresented industry-standard practices. It’s worth pausing to consider that framing.

In that sentence, “standard industry practices” is doing a lot of work. When you consider what was purportedly occurring—Android devices sending user data to Google even when users had turned off location sharing, closed the apps, or locked their phones completely—this type of language sounds comforting.

According to the lawsuit, Google designed the Android operating system to continuously gather enormous amounts of user data, feeding a targeted advertising machine that makes billions of dollars a year. The legal term used was “conversion,” which is derived from property law and basically means that someone took something that belonged to someone else without that person’s consent. Cellular data was purportedly stolen in this instance.

The type for which you pay your carrier each month on a gigabyte basis. It’s possible that a lot of users still don’t fully understand the practical implications of that. In other words, without their knowledge or consent, their money was being used to finance Google’s data collection.

The settlement now presents a possibility of some recovery, albeit a small one. With about 100 million Android users potentially eligible, the $100 payment cap per class member doesn’t exactly work in anyone’s favor. After legal fees, administrative expenses, and attorney payments, dividing $135 million among so many claimants will leave each person with far less than the cap indicates.

Nobody seems to know the precise amount. All eligible members will receive roughly the same amount, according to the settlement website. Whether the final amount will be $30, $15, or less is still up in the air.

A person must have used an Android phone with a cellular data plan at any time between November 12, 2017, and the date the settlement is finally approved by the court in order to be eligible. They have to be a current resident of the United States. Additionally, they cannot already be involved in the parallel California-specific class action Csupo v.

Google LLC. You go to the settlement website, enter your information, and select how you want to be paid if you received a notice in the mail or via email with a notice ID and confirmation code. The website makes it clear that you might not receive anything at all if no payment method is chosen.

The irony in this situation is difficult to ignore. Because it knows more about people than people know about themselves, Google has grown to become one of the most powerful corporations in human history. Its capacity to anticipate your search terms before you finish typing or to display an advertisement for a topic you brought up during a conversation is data, not magic.

Massive quantities, collected from billions of devices. In this instance, the accusation is that certain members of that group went too far. that it used resources that the user had paid for without their consent.

June 23 is the date of the final approval hearing. Until then, the settlement is still in the preliminary stage; technically, no money has been confirmed to be disbursed. Settlements are sometimes rejected by courts, especially if the terms appear to favor lawyers over claimants or if the payout is thought to be too small in comparison to the harm. In a court document, plaintiffs’ attorney Glen Summers contended that the $135 million amount reflects true accountability. By summer, we will know if the judge concurs.

In all honesty, this settlement isn’t about the money for the majority of eligible users. Nobody’s life will be improved by a few dollars added to a PayPal account. However, the act of claiming it has significance because it is a silent admission that something was taken and that it was important.

In a world where data is now the currency of contemporary life, that acknowledgment has significance that cannot be fully expressed in monetary terms. If you are eligible, sign up. The deadline is not going to wait.