Google has agreed to pay $23 million to settle a California class-action lawsuit over search engine privacy issues, according to a Thursday report from Bloomberg Law. The deal still needs court approval.
The lawsuit, which has been ongoing since 2010, alleges that Google violated users’ privacy by sharing with third parties search terms used in queries.
As part of the settlement, Google would pay the agreed-on $23 million, which might be distributed to California residents in the future, and the company would add disclosures about how it shares search terms.
Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported settlement.
Last year, Google agreed to pay $100 million in a settlement over privacy violations. Google Photos’ Face Grouping tool allowed users to organize images of the same person via facial recognition algorithms, but Illinois law requires companies to have a written release for storing this kind of biometric data. Illinois residents could receive up to $400 from this settlement.
