Google Must Pay $314M for Unauthorized Use of Android Users’ Cellular Data

A California jury has ordered Google to pay $314 million in damages over claims it misused Android users’ cellular data without their consent, writes Ravie Lakshmanan, in The Hacker News.

 The class-action lawsuit Csupo v. Google LLC accused the tech giant of engineering Android devices to send background data to Google servers using users’ cellular networks, even when the devices were idle.

Plaintiffs argued that these passive transfers benefited Google at the expense of users, as they consumed mobile data without disclosure or permission.

The case began in August 2019, when plaintiffs filed suit, alleging that Google’s Android system continuously transmitted user data, including operating metrics, network state, and app activity, even when no apps were open and the device was in a dormant state.

They claimed that while Google could have limited such transfers to Wi-Fi connections, it deliberately chose to allow them via cellular networks to maximize data collection.

Technical tests cited in court showed that a default Samsung Galaxy S7 exchanged data with Google 389 times a day, using nearly 9MB of cellular data daily, with 94% of this data going to Google.

After a trial that began June 2, 2025, the jury sided with the plaintiffs, ruling that Google’s passive data collection constituted an unauthorized use of users’ data allowances.

Google had countered that the transfers supported essential functions such as security and performance, and that user consent was obtained through its terms of use. The company said it would appeal the verdict.

Attorneys should remind their tech-sector clients that fine-print disclosures may not shield them from liability when consumer control is lacking or unclear. Regulatory and litigation pressure around digital privacy continues to increase.