Google agrees to pay $8.25 million to settle lawsuit alleging unlawful collection of children’s data

After over two years of litigation, Google agreed to pay $8.25 million in order to settle a class action accusing it of unlawfully collecting data from devices used by children under the age of 13. 

The case stems from complaints by parents of six minors who allegedly downloaded child-directed apps from the Google Play Store. The apps’ themes indicated that they were meant for younger audiences, which requires complying with COPPA. The parents claimed that Google’s AdMob SDK collected children’s data, and that even after Google banned the apps, AdMob continued collecting data from children’s devices. This fact underscores the importance of knowing exactly how a third party handles user data at all times. 

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