Gmail Privacy Issues May Have Affected Users of AOL Mail

A class action investigation has been launched against Google, after Gmail privacy issues were discovered that have affected users of other email platforms. Google had allegedly scanned incoming emails from different email providers like AOL Mail for marketing purposes, allegedly violating users privacy.

These Gmail privacy issues had spurred a class action suit against Google, claiming the internet giant had violated the privacy rights of California residents. The Gmail privacy issues described in the lawsuit alleged that Google’s scanning of incoming emails without the knowledge or consent of their senders violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act.

Overview of Gmail Privacy Issues

While Gmail privacy issues were reportedly resolved in the wake of a settlement in August 2017, Google’s legal troubles may not be over.

The company has since stopped scanning emails for marketing purposes, and Google agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle the alleged Gmail privacy violations. However, numerous California residents may be eligible for up to $5,000 in statutory damages if they sent an email from a different service like AOL Mail to a Gmail address.

California is one of the first states to pursue such damages against Google, with a recent claim conjointly filed by ten plaintiffs in Santa Clara County Superior Court. This claim also contains allegations from the recently settled Google lawsuit, which was a federal case that consisted of Class Members who may not have had Gmail accounts but sent emails to people with Gmail addresses.

Google reportedly resolved these Gmail privacy issues by changing its process of scanning emails by eliminating the processing of incoming emails and refraining from scanning outgoing emails. The settlement, however, does not address damages for individual Class Members.

California Two-Party Consent Law May Have Been Violated

Lawyers are currently setting up pathways for California residents to seek damages against Google. AOL Mail, Yahoo Mail and other email users can potentially receive up to $5,000 in penalties for alleged violations against the California Invasion of Privacy Act and currently standing two-party consent laws.

Under this state law, it is considered illegal for one party to record a communication without the other party’s consent. California is one of the most progressive states in consumer privacy protections, prohibiting companies like Google from invading consumers’ privacy by scanning their emails without their consent.

According to one of the lawyers involved in the litigation, “if each intercepted email constitutes a violation, Google could have billions of dollars in liability.”

At this point in time, Google has not responded to this new development. People who sent an email using AOL Mail or other email providers to a Gmail account may be eligible to participate in the investigation.

To participate in this investigation, consumers must not have had a Gmail account before October 2017 and must  have sent an email to a Gmail account between Aug. 1, 2017 and Sept. 23, 2017.

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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