Mass data misuse action against Google dismissed in High Court
An action against Google in the High Court in London, alleging that it took data unlawfully from 4.4m UK iPhone users, has been dismissed.
Mr Justice Warby ruled that claims of damage suffered, in terms of s 13 of the Data Protection Act 1998, through the alleged breach of privacy were not supported by the facts put forward by the claimants, a campaign group known as Google You Owe Us. It was also impossible to calculate ascertain the iPhone users affected.
His ruling was given in an application to serve the proceedings on Google as a foreign corporation.
The claimants sought compensation for people whose handsets were tracked by Google for several months in 2011 and 2012, in what is believed to be the first mass legal action of its kind in the UK. Some 20,000 people signed up to the campaign.
It was claimed that cookies devised by Google were used to get round privacy protections on the phones and track people's usage, with advertising then being sold on the basis of the personal information collected.
Former Which director Richard Lloyd, who heads the group, said he was disappointed by the ruling and his group would seek permission to appeal. Google said it was pleased and that the case was "without merit".
The company has paid out to settle similar claims against it in the US courts.