Outlook Users May Have Been Affected by Google Email Scanning

If you have a Microsoft Outlook email or another non-Gmail account, Google may have accessed your emails without your permission, violating your privacy rights.

Google email scanning policies that affected users with a Microsoft Outlook email or other non-Gmail account are reportedly a violation of privacy, as these users did not consent to Google email scanning.

An investigation has been launched into the Google email scanning scandal. You may qualify to participate in this Google email scanning investigation if you meet the following criteria:

• You never had a Gmail account prior to October 2017; and
• You sent an email to a user’s Gmail account sometime between Aug. 1, 2017 and Sept. 23, 2017.

Google Email Scanning Class Action Lawsuit

Scanning emails without the sender’s knowledge or consent may violate the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) and could lead to compensation of $5,000 in statutory damages.

A group of California residents joined by one New Hampshire resident filed a class action lawsuit over the Google email scanning issue. The plaintiffs said they never had a Gmail account, but claimed that a Google email scanning policy allowed the company to intercept the emails they sent to Gmail accounts.

These plaintiffs alleged their emails were being “intercepted, scanned, analyzed, and cataloged” by Google. According to the lawsuit, the information collected by Google email scanning was used for advertising purposes. But Microsoft Outlook email users and other non-Gmail users allegedly never gave their consent for their emails to be intercepted by Google during this time period.

In 2016, Google settled at least 875 email scanning damages claims, according to federal court records. A settlement agreement was reached in August 2017, when the company also was required to make changes to its email scanning practices. Pursuant to that settlement, Google no longer scans incoming emails for advertising information.

California privacy laws prohibit electronic communications from being intercepted without the consent of all parties involved. Statutory damages of $5,000 per violation may be incurred.

California is not the only one with strict privacy laws. Other states with similar privacy laws include Florida, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maryland. These states also require the consent of both parties involved in an electronic communication before interception.

If you have a Microsoft Outlook email or other non-Gmail account, and you sent an email to a Gmail account between Aug. 1, 2017 and Sept. 23, 2018, your privacy rights may have been violated, and you may qualify to join this investigation. Violations of these privacy laws may lead to statutory damages of $5,000 per individual violation.

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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