Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2022
Location tracking and privacy disclosure controversy
U.S. states alleged that Google’s account settings and product practices could lead users to believe location tracking had been disabled when location data could still be collected. The matter resulted in multistate settlement and transparency commitments.
2022
South Korea fines Netflix, Google and other OTT services over subscription practices
Fine or penalty
South Korea's Fair Trade Commission decided to impose a combined fine of 19.5 million won on Google, Netflix and three other OTT providers. The regulator found that these services hampered paid subscribers' attempts to end memberships, through falsified information or by not allowing online cancellation. The Fair Trade Commission also ordered corrective action against the companies.
South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission decided to impose a combined 19.5 million won fine on Google, Netflix and three other OTT providers, finding that they hampered paid subscribers’ attempts to end memberships through falsified information or by not allowing online cancellation. The regulator also ordered corrective action.
Source excerpt
South Korea's antitrust regulator said on Sunday it has decided to impose a fine of a combined 19.5 million won ($16,300) on Google, Netflix and three other video streaming services for their unfair business activity over paid subscription.
Along with the fine, the regulator ordered them to correct their business practice, reports Yonhap news agency.
They provided falsified information or did not allow subscribers to cancel their membership online in a bid to make it difficult for customers to terminate the contract of using their services, according to the FTC.
2022
PriceRunner sues Google for alleged search-result manipulation
Lawsuit filed
PriceRunner said it filed a lawsuit against Google in Sweden seeking compensation for profits it says it lost in the UK, Sweden and Denmark. The claim alleges Google manipulated search results.
Source excerpt
PriceRunner, which is in the process of being bought by fintech Klarna, said a lawsuit it filed in Sweden aims to make Google pay compensation for the profit it has lost in the UK since 2008, as well as in Sweden and Denmark since 2013.
Swedish price comparison firm PriceRunner said on Monday it is suing Alphabet-owned Google for about 2.1 billion euros ($2.40 billion), the latest firm to take legal action alleging the search giant manipulated search results.
PriceRunner is suing Google for €2.1 billion ($2.4 billion) for breaching EU antitrust laws by manipulating search results in favor of their own comparison shopping services.
2022
Purdue Research Foundation sues Google over patent
Lawsuit filed
Purdue Research Foundation filed a lawsuit alleging that Google infringed a Purdue University patent related to detecting power-management bugs in code. The suit seeks royalties and damages. The allegations are not established as a court finding in the source.
Company response
Investigation — Google
Google spokesperson José Castañeda revealed that it is examining Purdue University's allegations
Source excerpt
Google has allegedly violated one of Purdue University's patents that detects power management-related bugs within written code.
Purdue University filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas and is now claiming royalties and an undisclosed amount of money in damages.
Google spokesperson José Castañeda revealed that it is examining Purdue University's allegations
2022
Arizona court allows lawsuit against Google to proceed
Ruling
An Arizona judge denied Google's bid to end the State of Arizona's lawsuit alleging that Google used deceptive practices to access users' location data. The judge said the allegations should be weighed by a jury; the court rejected a separate accusation that Google retained location data to help sell ads.
Company response
Denial — Google
Google claimed that the allegations were “based on inaccurate claims and outdated assertions.”
Source excerpt
The state’s lawsuit, filed by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, alleged that Google had used unfair and deceptive practices to obtain users’ location data, which it secretly exploited for targeted advertising.
However, the judge rejected a third accusation that Google deceived users by keeping location data to help sell ads.
Judge Timothy Thomason of Arizona, said that the allegations that the tech giant deceived users with unclear smartphone location tracking settings should be weighed by a jury.
2022
Google sues South Korean regulator over fine
Lawsuit filed
Google filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a decision by the Korea Fair Trade Commission to fine the company. The fine concerned alleged restrictions on smartphone makers' use of rival operating systems. The filing was reported on January 24, 2022. Google's legal action challenges the regulator's penalty decision; the summary does not specify the outcome of the lawsuit or further details of the allegations.
Google filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Korea Fair Trade Commission's decision to fine it over alleged restrictions on smartphone makers' use of rival operating systems.
Stated objective. Overturn the regulator's decision and annul the fine.
Source excerpt
According to the sources, the suit was filed on January 24 in an attempt to annul the KFTC's decision to impose the fine
The KFTC said Google has hampered market competition by requiring smartphone makers to enter into an "anti-fragmentation agreement (AFA)"
2022
Former Google employee files racial discrimination lawsuit
Lawsuit filed
April Curley sued Google, alleging systemic racial bias, including that Black employees were steered to lower-level jobs, paid less, and denied advancement opportunities because of their race. The article reports allegations and does not establish a court determination.
Source excerpt
Curley filed the lawsuit in the United States at the District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose.
A black woman from Baltimore who was hired by Google to increase their recruitment from historically black colleges sued the Silicon Valley giant on Friday accusing them of systemic racial bias.
Former Google employee April Curley sued the company after claiming it systematically discriminated against Black employees.
2022
Regulators investigate Google–Meta ad-tech agreement
Investigation
The UK Competition and Markets Authority and the European Commission launched investigations into Google and Meta’s “Jedi Blue” agreement, including whether it restricted header bidding competition. The source says no decision had been made on whether either company broke the law.
Source excerpt
As this is only the start of the CMA's investigation, no decision has been made on whether Google or Meta have broken the law.
CMA and European Commission launch parallel probes into Google and Meta's "Jedi Blue" agreement.
2022
Google Assistant white-noise change draws user backlash
Public backlash
Google Assistant users complained after Google changed its white-noise sound, reporting that it was quieter, muffled, and looped more frequently. The article reports hundreds of comments about the issue; Google had not immediately responded to a request for comment.
Source excerpt
The company appears to have changed its "white noise" sound, according to 9to5Google—much to the chagrin of regular users.
Between the Nest Community page and Reddit, the issue has racked up hundreds of comments in less than a week.
Google did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.
2022
Krafton sues over Free Fire distribution
Lawsuit filed
Krafton filed a lawsuit in the United States against Apple, Google and others concerning the distribution of Free Fire and Free Fire MAX. Krafton alleges the games infringe its copyrights and says it had asked Apple and Google to stop distributing and selling them; the article says the companies had not responded as far as was known.
Company response
Denial — Garena spokesperson
Garena’s spokesperson says to the lip Crafton’s allegations are unfounded.
Source excerpt
The lawsuit also covers game maker Garena, as well as YouTube.
Crafton, publisher and developer of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, has filed a lawsuit in the United States against Apple and Google, among others. The lawsuit revolves around Free Fire and Free Fire MAX, which Crafton says infringes the company’s copyrights and is on the app stores.
Garena’s spokesperson says to the lip Crafton’s allegations are unfounded.
2022
Krafton sues Apple and Google over sales of alleged game copies
Lawsuit filed
Krafton filed a U.S. lawsuit alleging that a Singapore-based company made rip-off versions of its game and that Apple and Google refused to stop selling them.
Company response
Denial — Garena
A company spokesperson said, “Krafton’s claims are groundless.”
Source excerpt
Another day, another lawsuit. Krafton Inc., the maker of the game “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” says in a new U.S. lawsuit that a Singapore-based company made rip-off versions of its game, and Apple and Google have refused to stop selling them, reports Reuters.
Krafton, the developer behind PlayUnknown’s Battlegrounds,” and the maker of PUBG Mobile, last year’s No. 6 top-grossing mobile game on a global basis, is suing the app stores and a rival game maker, Garena, over copyright infringement involving Garena Online’s Free Fire games.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on January 10, 2022.
2022
CNIL fines Facebook and Google over cookie consent
Fine or penalty
France’s data protection regulator, CNIL, fined Google and Facebook a combined €210 million for failing to provide users with an equally easy way to reject tracking cookies. CNIL also ordered the companies to provide a simpler refusal method within three months.
Source excerpt
Last week, the French data protection regulator (CNIL) said it has fined Google and Meta-owned Facebook platform a combined €210 million for failing to comply with the country’s data protection act – specifically, for not giving users an easy way to reject tracking cookies.
The privacy watchdog also ordered the companies to fix the issues within three months, or risk paying a penalty of €100,000 per day of delay.
2022
US ITC imposes import ban on Google hardware products in Sonos patent case
Ban or restriction
The US International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Sonos in its patent dispute with Google and imposed an import ban on a number of Google's hardware products. The report says the ban would take effect after a 60-day compliance period.
Company response
Denial — Google
Google calls the lawsuits “frivolous”
Source excerpt
Today, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled in favor of Sonos, imposing an import ban on a number of Google's hardware products – Nest, Pixel and Chromecast among them
Firstly, the import ban proposed by the ITC is only for Google hardware products being imported into the US, and the Commission has given the tech giant 60 days to comply before the ban takes place.
Sonos claimed that Google stole key elements of this technology after a partnership back in 2013
2022
CNIL fines Google and Facebook over cookie policies
Fine or penalty
France’s data regulator, the CNIL, fined Google €150 million and Facebook €60 million over cookie policies that it said made refusing tracking cookies more difficult than accepting them. Google said it would make further changes and work with the CNIL; Meta said it was reviewing the decision and remained committed to working with authorities.
Company response
Ongoing disclosure — Google
A Google spokesperson said the company is committing to “further changes and active work with the CNIL”
Ongoing disclosure — Meta
a spokesperson for Facebook parent company Meta said it is reviewing the decision and remains “committed to working with relevant authorities”
Remediation — Google
Source excerpt
A Google spokesperson said the company is committing to “further changes and active work with the CNIL”, while a spokesperson for Facebook parent company Meta said it is reviewing the decision and remains “committed to working with relevant authorities”.
France’s data regulator has fined Google €150m and Facebook €60m over their cookie policies.
The CNIL said today (6 January) that the websites Facebook.com, Google.fr and YouTube.com do not allow users to refuse tracking cookies as easily as accepting them.
2022
US trade court bars imports of some Google products
Ban or restriction
The U.S. trade court barred Google from importing products found to infringe Sonos smart-speaker patents, while allowing imports of products redesigned to avoid infringement. The ITC affirmed its August decision.
Company response
Denial — Google
A Google spokesperson said it does not expect the decision to affect its ability to import or sell its products.
Source excerpt
The U.S. International Trade Commission affirmed an August decision that Google audio products infringed five Sonos patents and banned Google from importing “networked speaker devices” and devices that can control them like mobile phones and laptops.
A Google spokesperson said it does not expect the decision to affect its ability to import or sell its products.
A U.S. trade court barred Google late Thursday from importing products that infringe home-audio company Sonos’s smart-speaker patents.
2021
Google runs experiments affecting Australian news results
Issue disclosure
Google said it was running experiments reaching about 1% of Google Search users in Australia. Reports described Google as tweaking its algorithm to bury links from several major Australian news websites. Australian officials criticized the tests amid a dispute over payments for news content.
Stated objective. To measure the impacts of news businesses and Google Search on each other.
Source excerpt
On Wednesday, the tech giant added that it "runs a few experiments that will reach nearly 1% of Google Search users in Australia."
On Thursday, Australia urged Google to "focus on paying for original content and not on blocking it" after the tech giant revealed it was running "experimental tests" that will limit domestic news content access.
Google tweaked its algorithm to bury links from several major Australian news websites, The Australian Financial Review reported.
2021
Google sued over alleged contact-tracing data exposure
Lawsuit filed
Two Android users filed a lawsuit against Google in California federal court, alleging that a flaw in its COVID-19 contact-tracing technology exposed users' personal and medical information to third-party apps. The article says it is unclear whether any third-party apps actually accessed the information.
Source excerpt
The complaint says Google became aware of the security flaw that caused a data breach in February but has failed to inform the public.
The lawsuit was filed in California federal court on Wednesday and alleges that dozens of third parties may have been able to access personal and medical details of Android users as a result of the flaw.
谷歌向DJ提供了第一人称的话术，要求他们吹捧Pixel 4手机。
2021
UK Supreme Court rejects collective action against Google
Ruling
The UK Supreme Court ruled that a collective action alleging Google secretly tracked iPhone users could not proceed. The article reports allegations that Google tracked browsing histories and collected personal data for targeted advertising; the ruling concerned whether the claim could proceed, not a finding on those allegations.
Source excerpt
不过英国最高法院周三裁定诉讼不可行，无法继续。
他说谷歌追踪互联网浏览历史记录，获取个人数据，然后用来推送定向广告。
2021
Daily Mail owner sues Google over online advertising market
Lawsuit filed
Associated Newspapers Ltd and Mail Media Inc, publishers of MailOnline, filed a lawsuit against Google in the U.S. District Court in New York. The suit alleged that Google's control over ad-selling tools, publisher-page ad space, and the ad exchange harmed competition and publisher revenue. Google responded that the claims were meritless and inaccurate.
Associated Newspapers Ltd and Mail Media Inc, which publish MailOnline, sued Google in U.S. District Court in New York. The lawsuit alleges that Google's control over ad-selling tools, publisher-page ad space, and the ad exchange harms competition and publisher revenue. Google called the claims meritless and inaccurate.
Company response
Denial — Google
Google called the lawsuit's claims "meritless" and "inaccurate."
Denial — Google
Google called the claims "meritless"
Source excerpt
The Daily Mail, owner of the MailOnline newspaper, sued Google on Tuesday, alleging that the search and advertising giant's power over selling online ad space means newspapers see little of the revenue their content produces.
The federal lawsuit against Google and its parent, Alphabet Inc, alleges that Google controls the tools used to sell ad inventory as well as the space on publishers' pages where ads can be placed and the exchange that decides where ads will be placed.
Google called the lawsuit's claims "meritless" and "inaccurate."
2021
Trump files lawsuits against Facebook, Google and Twitter
Lawsuit filed
In July 2021, Donald Trump filed class-action lawsuits against Facebook, Google and Twitter, alleging that the companies censored users. The suits were filed in the Southern District of Florida, according to the report. The filing named the three technology companies as defendants in a dispute over content moderation practices. The report did not specify further details of the claims or any response from the companies.
Source excerpt
Former US President Donald Trump said he is filing class-action lawsuits against Facebook, Google, and Twitter and their executives, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Sundar Pichai respectively.
The lawsuits, filed in the Southern District of Florida, come after Twitter and Facebook booted him over risks of violence following the January 6 insurrection.
Filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida and backed by the concerningly named America First Policy Institute, the suit is also aimed at altering Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act