US: Federal judge rejects Google e-mail settlement

A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Wednesday rejected a settlement in a class action lawsuit between non-Gmail users and Google.

The non-Gmail users contended that Google illegally scanned their e-mail correspondence with Gmail users for targeted advertising purposes in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA).

The proposed settlement provided for an injunction, a release of the class’s claims, and a request for $2.2 million in attorney’s fees. Judge Lucy Koh rejected the proposed settlement because it fails to require Google to disclose the fact that they intercept, scan and analyze the content of e-mails from non-Gmail users.

Additionally, the settlement was rejected on the grounds that it provided no authority proving that the proposed injunction would bring Google within compliance of CIPA or ECPA. Ultimately, the court was unable to conclude that the proposed settlement was fundamentally fair, adequate and reasonable.

Full Content: Court ruling

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