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Google Buzz Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Approved

By Sarah Pierce

 

Google BuzzA federal judge has issued final approval to the $8.5 million Google Buzz class action settlement proposed last fall. The class action settlement was reached after 31 million Gmail users sued Google for exposing their personal information without their consent through a host of privacy flaws.

Google Buzz was launched in February 2010 as a social networking and messaging tool that integrates with Gmail and other Google services. Buzz faced immediate criticism over the fact that it automatically opted Gmail users in to Buzz and revealed their Google accounts and contacts to people and allowed them to be “followed” without asking their permission. A class action lawsuit was subsequently filed alleging Google Buzz broke several electronic communications laws by sharing personal data without user consent.

Under the Google Buzz class action settlement, 14 internet privacy advocacy groups will split a little over $6 million, with the remainder of the settlement money going toward attorneys’ fees. The bulk of the money will go to the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier Foundation. U.S. District Judge James Ware also determined that the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University also deserve a piece of the class action settlement.

Details of the Google Buzz Class Action Lawsuit Settlement were announced last September.

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Updated June 6th, 2011

 

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