UK Court Dismisses Case Against Google Over Harvesting of iPhone User Data

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The High Court of Justice in England rejected on Monday a multibillion class action lawsuit against Google over alleged "clandestine tracking" of the internet activities of UK Apple iPhone users, the court materials show.

"The Court dismisses the application … because the facts alleged in the Particulars of Claim do not support the contention that [claimant] Mr [Richard] Lloyd or any of those whom he represents have suffered "damage" within the meaning of DPA [Data Protection Act 1998]," the court said.

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The court, however, recognized that there was no dispute that it could be argued that Google’s alleged collection and use of data obtained via the so-called Safari Workaround was wrongful and constituted a breach of rules.

Back in November, media reported that a group of people led by Lloyd, the then-executive director of the consumer watchdog Which?, brought a class action against the tech company.

The claim alleged that Google, over some months in 2011 and 2012, secretly collected personal information by circumventing the default privacy settings on Apple iPhones via the so-called Safari Workaround and sold the accumulated data. The claim sought compensation for alleged damage to 5.4 million people, which could total some 1-3 billion pounds ($1.3-4 billion), according to the court materials.