Google Location History Litigation

This consolidated lawsuit alleges that the Defendant stored Location Information from persons residing in the United States who used one or more mobile devices while “Location History” was disabled between January 1, 2014, and December 4, 2023.

During the Class Period (between January 1, 2014, and December 4, 2023), “Location History” was a Google Account setting that was off by default. In this consolidated lawsuit, Plaintiffs allege that users who disabled, or did not enable, the Location History setting did not consent to Google’s storage of any Location Information about them.

For purposes of this settlement, the term Location Information refers to any data used to identify a user or device and a place in the world at a point in time by use of GPS coordinate monitoring technology, IP address, cell tower data, wireless internet access points (Wi-Fi data), or Bluetooth data.

The Defendant expressly denies any liability or wrongdoing with respect to the Plaintiffs’ allegations.

In a class action, one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar legal claims. Together, the people included in the class action are called a class or class members. One court resolves the lawsuit for all class members, except for those who exclude themselves from a settlement. In this Settlement, the Settlement Class Representatives are Napoleon Patacsil, Michael Childs, and Noe Gamboa.

The Court did not decide in favor of Plaintiffs or Google. Google denies all claims that it violated any law. Settlements avoid the costs and uncertainty of a trial and appeals. The Settlement Class Representatives and their attorneys think the Settlement is best for all Settlement Class Members.

You are part of the Settlement if you are in the Settlement Class. The Court decided that the Settlement Class includes “All natural persons residing in the United States who used one or more mobile devices and whose Location Information was stored by Google while ‘Location History’ was disabled at any time during the Class Period (January 1, 2014, through December 4, 2023).”

Yes. The Settlement Class does not include: (a) all persons who are directors, officers, employees, or agents of Google or its subsidiaries and affiliated companies; (b) the Court, the Court’s immediate family, and Court staff, as well as any appellate court to which this matter is ever assigned, and its immediate family and staff; and (c) eligible persons who submit a timely and valid Request for Exclusion from the Settlement Class.

If you are not sure whether you are included in the Settlement Class, or have any other questions about the Settlement, write with questions to:

Email: info@GoogleLocationHistorySettlement.com

OR

Google Location History Litigation
C/O Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 2227
Portland, OR 97208-2227

You may also call the Settlement Administrator at 1-877-673-2191.

A $62 million Settlement Fund will be created. The Settlement Fund will be used to pay the cost of settlement notice and administration, any Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses Award, any Service Awards, and taxes. The amount remaining after these items are paid (the “Net Settlement Fund”), will be paid to one or more independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations with a track record of addressing privacy concerns on the internet (either directly or through grants) (the “Approved Cy Pres Recipients”). The parties have nominated the following non-profit organizations to the Court thus far:

• The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project)
• The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California (Technology and Civil Liberties Program)
• Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
• Center for Democracy & Technology
• Connect Safely
• Data & Society Research Institute
• Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Electronic Privacy Information Center
• Fordham University Center on Law and Information Policy (CLIP)
• FPF Education & Innovation Foundation
• The Internet Archive
• The Markup
• MIT Internet Policy Research Initiative
• National Cyber Security Alliance
• New York University Information Law Institute
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
• The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment
• Yale Law School Information Society Project (ISP)

The proposal from each of the proposed non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations describing how it would use money from the Settlement will be made available on the Documents tab of this Settlement Website. Any additional, new, or updated proposals for cy pres funding from these or any other organizations will be posted on this Settlement Website.

The Court will decide which non-profit 501(c)(3) organization or organizations will receive the money. No money will be provided until approved by the Court at the Final Approval Hearing, and after the time for any appeals has passed or any such appeals have been decided in favor of the settlement.

Google has agreed to make certain disclosures regarding its practices with respect to Location Information, notify users in the event it makes certain changes with respect to its practices regarding Location Information, and refrain from making certain types of changes to its current practices and policies regarding Location Information. For more information on the non-financial consideration for the Settlement, you may view the Non-Monetary Terms set forth in Exhibit C to the Settlement Agreement.

Detailed proposals from each Proposed Cy Pres recipient regarding how they would use funds awarded by the Court will be made available on the Documents tab of this Settlement Website.

Each Approved Cy Pres Recipient must agree that, as a condition of receiving any portion of the Settlement Fund, they shall provide a specific proposal demonstrating and committing to use the funds to promote the protection of internet privacy. As another condition of receiving any portion of the Settlement Fund, each Approved Cy Pres Recipient shall agree to provide a report to the Court and the parties every six months informing the Court and the parties of how any portion of the Settlement Fund allocated to the recipient has been used and how remaining funds are intended to be used. Such reports will be posted on the Documents tab.

No, the Plaintiffs and Google have agreed to a Settlement that provides for the Net Settlement Fund to be paid to one or more independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations with a track record of addressing privacy concerns on the internet (either directly or through grants) (the “Approved Cy Pres Recipients”).

If you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement Class, you will be releasing all your legal claims relating to the allegations and legal theories in the consolidated lawsuit, which allege that Google improperly collected, used, or disclosed data relating to the location of mobile devices. You may view the entire Complaint.

The claims you are giving up are called “Released Claims,” and they are defined in paragraph 52 of the Settlement Agreement. When the Settlement becomes final, you (and anyone claiming through you, or acting or purporting to act on your behalf, such as your heirs, estates, trustees, principals, beneficiaries, parents, guardians, executors, administrators, representatives, agents, attorneys, partners, successors, predecessors-in-interest, and assigns) will be releasing the Released Claims against Google, Google’s parent companies, their respective officers, directors, employees, members, agents, attorneys, administrators, representatives, insurers, beneficiaries, trustees, shareholders, investors, contractors, joint venturers, predecessors, successors, assigns, transferees, and all other individuals and entities acting on Google’s behalf in connection with the Released Claims.

By releasing your legal claims, you are giving up the right to file lawsuits against, or seek further compensation from, Google and the affiliated entities listed above based on those claims—whether or not you are currently aware of those claims. That means you will be bound to the terms of the Settlement and accompanying Court order, and cannot bring a lawsuit, or be part of another lawsuit against Google or the other entities listed in the paragraph above regarding the Released Claims. The “Releases and Dismissal of Action” section in the Settlement Agreement provides more detail regarding the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Settlement Class. You can review the entire Settlement Agreement.

Yes. The Court has appointed Tina Wolfson of Ahdoot & Wolfson, PC and Michael W. Sobol of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP to represent the Settlement Class as Lead Class Counsel. You will not be charged for their services. If you have any questions about the case, you may call 1-877-673-2191. You can also email or write to us at:

Email: info@GoogleLocationHistorySettlement.com

Google Location History Litigation
C/O Settlement Administrator
PO Box 2227
Portland, OR 97208-2227

You do not need to hire your own lawyer because Lead Class Counsel works for you. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

Lead Class Counsel will ask the Court for an Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses Award, consisting of an award of attorneys’ fees not to exceed 30% of the Settlement Fund, and costs not to exceed $155,000. They will also ask the Court to approve a Service Award for each of the Settlement Class Representatives not to exceed $5,000 each. Google has the right to oppose Lead Class Counsel’s request for fees, reimbursement of costs, and Service Awards, and Settlement Class Members have the right to object. The Court may award less than these amounts. If approved, these fees, costs and awards will be paid from the Settlement Fund.

The deadline to exclude yourself was March 4, 2024 and has passed.

The deadline to object to the settlement was March 4, 2024 and has passed.

Objecting is telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object to the Settlement only if you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement. Excluding yourself from the Settlement is stating to the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement Class or the Settlement. If you exclude yourself from the Settlement, you cannot object to it because it no longer affects you.

The Court has scheduled a Final Approval Hearing at 9:00 a.m. PST on April 18, 2024. If the hearing proceeds in person, it will be held at the San Jose Courthouse, Courtroom 4—5th Floor, 280 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113.

At the Final Approval Hearing, the Court will consider whether the Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate. The Court will also consider whether to approve Lead Class Counsel’s request for an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses, as well as the Settlement Class Representatives’ Service Awards. If there are objections, the Court will consider them. Judge Davila will listen to people who have asked to speak at the hearing (see FAQ 14 "How do I tell the Court if I do not like the Settlement?"). After the hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement.

The date or time of the Final Approval Hearing may change. Please check the Homepage of this Settlement Website, or the Court’s PACER site to confirm that the date has not been changed. You may also visit these websites for any updates, and to find out whether the Final Approval Hearing will be held in person or by video conference.

No. Lead Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. You may attend at your own expense if you wish. If you submit an objection, you do not have to attend the Final Approval Hearing to talk about it. If you submit your written objection on time, the Court will consider it. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but such attendance is not necessary for the Court to consider an objection that was filed on time.

If you are a Settlement Class Member and you do nothing, you will give up the rights explained in FAQ 9 "What are the Released Claims?", including your right to start a lawsuit, continue a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against Google and the Released Parties about the legal issues resolved by this Settlement.

This Settlement Website summarizes the proposed Settlement. Complete details are provided in the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement and other related documents can be downloaded from the Documents tab. You may also contact the Settlement Administrator by phone or mail or email.

Toll-Free: 1-877-673-2191

Mail:
Google Location History Litigation
C/O Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 2227
Portland, OR 97208-2227

Email: Info@GoogleLocationHistorySettlement.com

Publicly filed documents can also be obtained by visiting the office of the Clerk of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. You may also access Court’s online docket for this case, for a fee, through the Court’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov.

PLEASE DO NOT TELEPHONE OR DIRECTLY CONTACT THE COURT OR THE COURT CLERK’S OFFICE TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE SETTLEMENT PROCESS.