Google to Pay 8.3 Million NIS in Tel Aviv Court Location Tracking Settlement
The Tel Aviv District Court approved an 8.3 million NIS settlement in class actions against Google over unauthorized location tracking.
The Tel Aviv District Court approved settlement agreements yesterday (Tuesday) in two consolidated class action lawsuits against Google, addressing allegations of unauthorized collection of location data from Android and Apple iOS users without informed consent. Under the settlements, for compromise purposes only and without admitting liability, Google will pay a total compensation of approximately 8.3 million NIS (about 4 million NIS in each proceeding).
The funds will be transferred to the Class Actions Administration Fund and earmarked for the field of privacy protection. The lawsuits, originally filed in 2017 and 2022, claimed that Google continued to track users' locations for advertising and commercial purposes even after they turned off location services or the location history function on their devices.
Google requested the dismissal of the lawsuits and rejected the claims against it. The company argued that it provides users with clear and transparent information on the operation of each function and allows them to control their privacy settings. Subsequently, the parties turned to mediation, resulting in the settlement agreements.
In addition to the compensation of about 8.3 million NIS, Judge Rachel Barkai noted that the settlements include a series of non-monetary remedies. Some have already been implemented in the US and Israel, and Google has committed to implementing the rest following the approval of the settlements.
