Google hit with $314m fine for collecting data from idle Android phones without permission (www.androidauthority.com)
from RandAlThor@lemmy.ca to technology@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 13:16
https://lemmy.ca/post/47374063

#technology

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CatsGoMOW@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 13:34 next collapse

That’s a rounding error for them.

Townlately@feddit.nl on 04 Jul 13:57 next collapse

A pi in the face

voodooattack@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 19:53 collapse

So small it’s almost imaginary

rottingleaf@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 14:21 collapse

That’s 1/85 of the watch that Ramzan Kadyrov’s son sported on his wedding.

Or one can just compare it to the share of Google’s profits in California.

Maeve@kbin.earth on 04 Jul 14:56 collapse

Perhaps a post about this in politics? You've piqued my interest.

rottingleaf@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 15:11 collapse

I don’t know, it’s Russian news mostly, just impressed plenty of people enough to say “yeah, this is bad, time to flee” (because this basically means that people in power don’t expect anything even resembling rule of law in the next few decades ; some sort of thief feudalism, like the “political system” Gypsies have when left to themselves, and I don’t hate Gypsies, but I also don’t like a few things associated with their cultures).

Maeve@kbin.earth on 04 Jul 15:38 collapse

I'm extremely interested. Perhaps somewhere on a niche instance?

rottingleaf@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 15:47 collapse

It doesn’t come up in search on Lemmy, at least everything by “Adam Kadyrov” is about some special forces training event or him beating someone.

If a link in Russian will do (Google Translate?), then www.gazeta.ru/social/news/2025/…/26158466.shtml , maybe?

The wedding also involved shooting into the air from a G-Wagon and polarized sunglasses (OK, that part is really not that strange, it’s basic convenience and fashion everywhere around Caucasus ; just wanted to communicate the atmosphere).

DonutsRMeh@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 13:47 next collapse

Google in 2024: Net profit: $100 billion

The government: “here is a tiny fine that you can’t even see in a microscope.”

xorollo@leminal.space on 04 Jul 14:50 next collapse

That does nothing to help anyone hurt by the actions.

DonutsRMeh@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 17:36 collapse

Hey, they’re gonna get their $2.97 checks. That’s a gallon of gas somewhere.

Cethin@lemmy.zip on 04 Jul 22:22 collapse

I agree, but one thing that people always miss with these kinds of rulings is that they generally come with increased oversight and greater fines for repeat offenses. They’re more likely to be caught if they try it again, and it’ll grow until it actually hurts.

Still, this should be a lot larger. They should be trying to dissuade first-time offenses as well, not letting them take advantage of the system for profit because it won’t hurt much when they’re found out.

DonutsRMeh@lemmy.world on 05 Jul 00:36 collapse

In theory, yes, but governments won’t do that. They worry that corporations would leave their states and they lose on employment and tax revenue. That’s why they fine them very carefully to begin with.

Cethin@lemmy.zip on 05 Jul 01:06 collapse

If you’re talking about the first paragraph, then no, that’s literally what they do.

treadful@lemmy.zip on 04 Jul 13:58 next collapse

Doesn’t sound like the suit was about the collection at all and just about the data transmission costing users mobile data usage.

Vague articles are vague.

phoenixz@lemmy.ca on 04 Jul 14:24 next collapse

So of the billions they made with that they have to pay a small fee.

Oh noes

Jail them!

Maeve@kbin.earth on 04 Jul 14:54 next collapse

Probably won't have to pay. They're appealing.

Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works on 04 Jul 14:58 collapse

They’re appalling

PushButton@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 16:46 collapse

They’re impaling

muhyb@programming.dev on 04 Jul 21:08 collapse

Vladislav?

jjjalljs@ttrpg.network on 04 Jul 15:32 next collapse

Fine needs to be much bigger. All the decision makers that approved it need to be removed and barred from working in the industry

nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org on 04 Jul 18:09 collapse

Jail them!

In prison gen pop. Make execs afraid to break the law for profit and/or fund reform for the prison system.

redditor_chatter44@sh.itjust.works on 04 Jul 15:16 next collapse

Oh noes

They’re shivering in their boots

TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 15:37 next collapse

Break the law and pay 0.014% of your market cap, or 0.31% of their 2024 profit.

Evil_Shrubbery@lemmy.zip on 04 Jul 18:37 collapse

(Also not change anything besides maybe make a terms upade.)

The horror!!

atrielienz@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 20:19 collapse

They’ll likely appeal.

Evil_Shrubbery@lemmy.zip on 04 Jul 21:54 collapse

True, the economy is saved!!

atrielienz@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 22:05 collapse

They already argued once in court that this was detailed in the TOS. Dunno if the appeal will do anything, but Google isn’t exactly hurting for the money.

misterdoctor@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 16:11 next collapse

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/a33e521f-0e57-4550-b835-d71e6c1cfabd.webp">

Alt text: a screenshot from final fantasy tactics with a character saying: “If the penalty for a crime is a fine, then that law only exists for the lower class.”

Tuuktuuk@sopuli.xyz on 04 Jul 18:14 next collapse

Assuming the fine isn’t progressive, of course.

Over here in Finland fines for any but the minor offences are defined in percents of income, not in fixed sums of money. There have been cases of traffic fines of several hundreds of thousands for going 30 km/h over the speed limit. That makes them a punishment for very richest people as well, not only for the lower class.

Lifter@discuss.tchncs.de on 04 Jul 21:56 collapse

Except capital income can be hidden in other countries, still giving an unfair advantage to the super rich.

VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 21:55 collapse

That’s actually shopped. The game’s writer said he wishes he wrote that line, though.

thatradomguy@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 16:22 next collapse

So when are we all finally going to ditch Google/Apple and move on to actual FOSS phones like Librem5 or Fairphone?

cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca on 04 Jul 16:34 next collapse

When they are good.

Another problem I have is multifactor apps. Can I get duo on a Linux phone? Or banking apps? Some software sends notifications to the phone to log in on a computer, for example.

I’m sure I could get around it, but ultimately I just want a good camera.

HiddenLychee@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 16:37 collapse

Yeah, I need to know that Microsoft authenticator, duo mobile, all banking and trading apps, Venmo, and steam guard work on Linux. I know a lot of banking apps do, but if duo mobile doesn’t, I’m locked out of my work.

lauha@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 17:43 next collapse

Fairphone is FOSS??

NGnius@lemmy.ca on 04 Jul 17:54 collapse

They submitted kernel patches for (at least some) support of the FP6 the day it released. The preinstalled OS isn’t FOSS though a good few FOSS OSs/distros support their older phones (and presumably the FP6 eventually).

So the answer is… sort of? Personally I just think they’re just FOSS-friendly

MolecularCactus1324@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 18:50 next collapse

When Librem stops sucking ass and Fairphone stops being just as bad as any other Android phone in terms of integrating Google services and allowing data collection

FelixCress@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 21:39 collapse

Which one allows me to actually control my phone and reject all the updates?

modifier@lemmy.ca on 04 Jul 16:44 next collapse

Years ago, when this policy was first being contemplated, someone at google plugged a number, likely larger than this, into a spreadsheet analyzing the cost/benefit of spying on their customers.

This is just post-activation operating expense from their perspective.

A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 17:02 collapse

Google made 100 billion last year.

300 million is barely a blip.

The fine should have been 30 billion.

if the fines arent big enough to seriously hurt a company, Then the fines are not big enough to change their behavior.

They just become a tax on evil.

glorptex@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 18:40 next collapse

They should definitely be higher than what they are, even the GDPR fines are a joke, its likely added to a line “legal expenses” in their expenses.

While it looks like the EU fines are ramping up over time, it still just feels silly right now. But I guess that is intentional.

Kekzkrieger@feddit.org on 04 Jul 20:11 next collapse

If you earn like 100k a year its like being slapped with a 300 $ fine just to put it into perspective.

onesixone@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 04 Jul 21:48 collapse

100k AFTER all your expenses.

Squizzy@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 20:42 collapse

Base it not off the entire company, base it off the value of doing this. They didnt make 100 billion off unapproved android user data collection.

This argument is common and while fines should be higher, the idea that they dont matter unless they are 10% of earnings is ridiculous.

drhodl@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 21:17 collapse

Because all the “slap on the wrist” fines have worked so well to modify corporate rapism… /s

Squizzy@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 21:50 collapse

Yeah I’d agree that there is a lack of enforcement in some aspects but moreso a lack of regulation and legislation in others.

There needs to be a better commitment to addressing trends in capitalism than reacting to their overstepping.

drhodl@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 21:55 next collapse

I’m 70 years old and that still hasn’t happened. Bring back the guillotine, I say. Anything less is just the price of a permit.

A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 23:23 collapse

These fines worked in 1957.

They don’t work today.

Its not an overreach to increase fines to a relative point commiserate with current earnings, so that they can actually harm a company and by doing so discourage future illicit behavior.

To try and claim otherwise is some corpo rat bullshit.

These fines come on the heels of willful behavior, that they believe they can make money off of even accounting for the fines… Which turns the fine into nothing more than a tax. With higher fines, that can destroy their profits and damage their company, they won’t be so eager to pencil evil into the expense line.

paraphrand@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 19:00 next collapse

Don’t we ban Chinese phones for the same actions?

HugeNerd@lemmy.ca on 04 Jul 21:26 collapse

China bad.

MisterFrog@lemmy.world on 09 Jul 13:02 collapse

I think the original commenter means that Google got off with a tap on the wrist

lukaro@lemmy.zip on 04 Jul 19:00 next collapse

I don’t chase dropped pennies, and I don’t think google does either!

ramenshaman@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 19:26 next collapse

laughs in GrapheneOS

answersplease77@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 23:36 collapse

cries in cheap phone that doesn’t flash GrapheneOS

poopkins@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 21:10 next collapse

The linked Reuters article provides a bit more context:

The jury agreed with the plaintiffs that Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O), was liable for sending and receiving information from the devices without permission while they were idle, causing what the lawsuit had called “mandatory and unavoidable burdens shouldered by Android device users for Google’s benefit.”

[…]

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said in a statement that the company would appeal, and that the verdict “misunderstands services that are critical to the security, performance, and reliability of Android devices.”

trashboat@midwest.social on 04 Jul 22:45 collapse

opens new tab

the verdict “misunderstands services that are critical to the security, performance, and reliability of Android devices.”

Ummmm maybe I’m misunderstanding but how on earth is opening a new tab critical to security and performance?

gex@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 23:29 collapse

I think that’s just part of the label of a link to Google’s stock ticker

poopkins@lemmy.world on 05 Jul 01:55 collapse

Yes, indeed this was just a copy error. Thanks for pointing it out.

Gowron_Howard@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 23:18 collapse

A fine is the cost of doing business. Unless something changes they’ll keep doing it.

RagingRobot@lemmy.world on 04 Jul 23:32 collapse

It’s just the government’s cut since they don’t pay much in taxes.

Doom@ttrpg.network on 04 Jul 23:39 collapse

And it isn’t like the victims see any of it