Yahoo Mail Users May Be Affected by Google Privacy Changes

If you are a Yahoo mail user and you sent an email before August 2017 to a Gmail user, you may be eligible for legal compensation. Before Google privacy changes were enacted about a year ago, emails that were sent from Yahoo Mail and other outside sources to Gmail accounts may have been unlawfully scanned or catalogued.

Gmail Scanning Scandal

Prior to the new Google privacy changes, emails sent to gmail users from an outside mail account, such as Yahoo Mail, may have been scanned and catalogued, according to a class action lawsuit filed in California District Court.

In August 2017, Judge Lucy Koh granted preliminary approval to a $2.2 million Google privacy changes settlement reached by both parties. Since the class action lawsuit was filed 3 years ago, Google has changed its Google privacy polices and no longer scans outside emails for advertising purposes, Law360 reports.

The judge praised both parties for reaching the Google privacy changes settlement and said that she thinks it was “an excellent outcome.”

In September 2015, lead plaintiff Daniel Matera launched his Google privacy changes class action lawsuit claiming that Gmail was in violation of the Wiretap Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. These violations occurred, he claims, because Google intentionally intercepted emails from outside sources like Yahoo Mail, scanned them, and used the information for targeted marketing purposes.

According to Law360, “In December, the parties struck a deal to award class counsel $2.2 million, each lead plaintiff $2,000 and the settlement administrator $123,500. Google also agreed it would change its approach to email scanning, by ‘eliminating’ some processing of incoming mail and ‘refraining’ from some processing of outgoing mail.”

Judge Koh was disappointed in this earlier version of the proposed Google privacy changes settlement, which she believed was vague, unfair to the plaintiff’s side and only about money for the attorneys. She said that it was “unclear at best” about what the Google privacy changes actually mean.

Later last summer, the proposal was refiled with clearer language about business practices and Google privacy changes for the next three years as well as different awards for lead plaintiffs and others.

Additionally, Judge Koh asked Google why the Google privacy changes agreement was only for the next three years and not indefinitely. An attorney for Google said, “Three years is a long time in terms of changes in law,” and that things may change in the near future.

This Google Privacy Changes Lawsuit is Daniel Matera v. Google Inc., Case No.  5:15-cv-04062, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Obtaining a Google Privacy Changes Payout

A new Google lawsuit investigation is now seeking users of Yahoo Mail and other outside mail services who may be eligible for a Google privacy changes payout. If you live in California, this practice may have violated California privacy law. If you sent an email from a non-Gmail account to a Gmail user before August 2017, you may be eligible for up to $5,000. Speaking with an attorney familiar with Google privacy changes may benefit you.

Join a Free Gmail Email Scanning Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

You may qualify for this Google privacy violation lawsuit investigation if:

• You’ve never had a Gmail account (at least not before October 2017).
• You sent an email to a Gmail account between Aug. 1, 2017, and Sept. 23, 2017.

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