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This article was published on April 2, 2015

Google must fight a lawsuit claiming Google Wallet breached user privacy


Google must fight a lawsuit claiming Google Wallet breached user privacy

Google has failed to get a lawsuit dismissed which accuses it of invading the privacy of Google Wallet users, reports Reuters.

US District Judge Beth Labson Freeman has ruled the the company must face claims that it violated Californian consumer protection law.

Freeman said the Google Wallet users behind the suit can attempt to argue in court that the company “frustrated” its own privacy policy by allowing “blanket universal disclosure” of personal information to developers of apps on sale in the Google Play Store.

Alice Svenson, the lead plaintiff in the case, claims Google sent unnecessary amount of personal information – including her address and zip code – to the developer of YCDroid, a $1.77 email app.

She says Google stopped giving developers access to customers’ mailing addresses, zip codes, phone numbers and email addresses soon after the lawsuit was first filed in September 2013.

Her lawyers are seeking class-action status for the case, with damages of $1,000 per violation, punitive damages and other remedies.

As you might expect, Google is not commenting on the case. Earlier this year, it made a deal to preinstall Google Wallet on practically all new Android devices in the US.

Google fails to dismiss privacy lawsuit over Google Wallet [Wallet]

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