Case Updates
Lesley Weaver Appointed to Executive Committee for Google Real-Time Bidding Privacy Litigation
On August 3, 2021, Judge Lucy Koh of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California appointed BFA Partner Lesley Weaver to the six-firm Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for the consolidated class action litigation, Hewitt et al v. Google LLC. The case is the first in the country to demand transparency about what information Google reveals about its users when it auctions ad placements to Google users through Google’s “Real-Time Bidding” system.
“The Real Time Bidding is perhaps the most significant ‘disclosure’ privacy case filed to date. We hope to reveal to consumers exactly how information collected about them is sold and used by Google, so that consumers provide knowing consent if they say yes to tracking, and to give consumers the option to opt out from tracking as well,” says Ms. Weaver.
According to the lawsuit, when Google account holders browse the internet, in the milliseconds between when an account holder clicks on a webpage and when the webpage loads, Google discloses their personal information to thousands of RTB auction participants, including hedge funds, political campaigns, and even to governments. If you have concerns about Google selling your personal information or want to know more, please contact us at GoogleDontSellMyInfo@bfalaw.com.
“The Real Time Bidding is perhaps the most significant ‘disclosure’ privacy case filed to date. We hope to reveal to consumers exactly how information collected about them is sold and used by Google, so that consumers provide knowing consent if they say yes to tracking, and to give consumers the option to opt out from tracking as well,” says Ms. Weaver.
According to the lawsuit, when Google account holders browse the internet, in the milliseconds between when an account holder clicks on a webpage and when the webpage loads, Google discloses their personal information to thousands of RTB auction participants, including hedge funds, political campaigns, and even to governments. If you have concerns about Google selling your personal information or want to know more, please contact us at GoogleDontSellMyInfo@bfalaw.com.