Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, PRIVACY NEWS: Groups protest proposed settlement in Google privacy case, (Aug 26, 2013)

The Electronic Privacy Information Center, Consumer Watchdog, the Center for Digital Democracy, Patient Privacy Rights, and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse have sent a letter urging U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila of the Northern District of California to reject a proposed settlement in a class action lawsuit against Google, Inc., over alleged privacy violations related to the company’s handling of users’ search data. They objected to the proposed settlement’s lack of a requirement for Google to change its business practices. They also protested that the seven organizations proposed as beneficiaries of a “cy pres” allocation of the settlement fund in lieu of “silent class members” do not meet the Ninth Circuit’s legal standard for such distributions because their interests do not align with the interests of the class members and that only one of the organizations, the World Privacy Forum, has “the protection of privacy as a mission.”

Companies: Google, Inc.

News: Privacy