Washington: Google has faced significant legal setbacks in two different countries due to privacy violations involving unauthorized data collection and image capture.
In the United States, a federal court in San Francisco ordered Google to pay $425 million after ruling that the company unlawfully gathered users’ personal data over eight years, ignoring privacy settings related to web and app activities. While plaintiffs initially demanded damages exceeding $31 billion, the jury imposed a substantially lower penalty.
At the same time, an Argentine court fined Google approximately $12,500 for capturing an invasive image of a police officer in his private home through its Street View service back in 2015. The photo, which showed the officer in an exposed state, led to a successful privacy lawsuit.
Experts believe these rulings reflect increasing international pressure on technology firms to uphold user privacy and comply with evolving regulations, highlighting the growing importance of digital rights protections worldwide.
