Data

Google Faces $29 Billion Class-Action Lawsuit over Alleged Data Privacy Violations

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San Francisco — A federal jury is being asked to consider a staggering $29 billion in damages in a class-action lawsuit against Google LLC, as users allege the tech giant continued to gather personal information even after they disabled privacy settings. This demand was made during the opening statements of the trial, which commenced on Tuesday in San Francisco. The requested compensation far surpasses previous settlements involving Google, notably a $1.4 billion agreement earlier this year over privacy violations in Texas. The lawsuit is particularly significant, involving nearly 100 million Google users. The legal claim … Read more

Federal Court Blocks DHS Access to Medicaid Data, Safeguarding Patient Privacy Amid Immigration Enforcement Concerns

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SEATTLE — A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Homeland Security from utilizing Medicaid data obtained from Washington and 19 other states for immigration enforcement activities. This decision also restricts the Department of Health and Human Services from sharing Medicaid information with DHS. The injunction was granted in response to a lawsuit initiated by a coalition led by Washington and California on July 1. The suit claims that the transfer of Medicaid data violates legal protections and seeks to halt any further use of this information for immigration purposes. Washington … Read more

Federal Court Blocks DHS from Using Medicaid Data for Immigration Enforcement, Safeguarding Patient Privacy in 20 States

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SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has issued a temporary ruling preventing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from utilizing Medicaid data from Washington and 19 additional states for immigration enforcement. The preliminary injunction, delivered by U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, addresses a multistate lawsuit filed in Northern California, citing inadequate protocol by federal agencies regarding the sharing of sensitive health information. Judge Chhabria’s decision indicated a need for adherence to proper decision-making processes when altering policies tied to personal health data. As a result of the injunction, the U.S. Department of Health and Human … Read more

California Jury Rules Meta Violated Privacy Laws by Illegally Collecting Health Data from Flo App Users

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A San Francisco jury has determined that Meta Platforms Inc. unlawfully gathered health data from users of the Flo period-tracking application, breaching California’s wiretap laws. This ruling emerges from a 2021 lawsuit in which users of the Flo app accused Meta, Alongside Google, Flo itself, and analytics company Flurry, of collecting their private menstrual health information without their consent for targeted advertising. During the trial, evidence indicated that Flo, despite assurances of user privacy, permitted Meta and Google to monitor in-app communications between late 2016 and early 2019. This allegedly contravened California’s Invasion of Privacy … Read more