Google sued in UK for ‘illegally’ mining data from iPhones

British consumer activist group Google You Owe Us initiated representative legal action on Thursday against tech giant Google, alleging that it illegally mined private information from consumers.

According to Google You Owe Us, the tech giant unlawfully harvested personal information from nearly 5.4 million Apple iPhone users in England and Wales between June 2011 and February 2012 through the consumers' use of Safari.

Google supposedly mined the data by bypassing Safari privacy search settings, known as the 'Safari Workaround', planting cookies into phones before selling the information they collect to advertising network 'DoubleClick Service'.

Google earns revenue by sending targeted advertisements to users based on their personal information.

European Union directives require consumers to be asked for consent before cookies are installed on their devices and used to transfer their data, while UK law provides that consumers' private data must be obtained in a manner that respects consumer privacy. Google You Owe Us says the tech giant violated this law by violating the privacy of its customers.

"Through this action, we will send a strong message to Google and other tech giants in Silicon Valley that we're not afraid to fight back if our laws are broken," said Richard Lloyd, who is spearheading the legal action.

A former government adviser and executive director of consumer rights group Which?, Lloyd says he has "rarely seen such a massive abuse of trust where so many people have no way to seek redress on their own".

The case will be heard in the UK High Court, though no date has been fixed for a hearing. Reports say a settlement could see a payout of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Google You Owe Us said the case is being financed to the tune of £15.5 million ($20.9 million) by Therium, an outfit which funds litigation efforts in exchange for a share of any award.

Google denies that it acted illegally, saying it has defended similar cases in the past. "We don't believe it has any merit and we will contest it," a Google spokeswoman said on the case.

The lawsuit is being brought on behalf of roughly 5.4 million iPhone users who were resident in England and Wales at the time and could have been affected. Although they could each get several hundreds of pounds if the case were to be successful, the group says its objective is as much about accountability as compensation.

A similar case brought by three individuals to the English High Court in 2015 was settled confidentially, but "opened the door" in principle to a new case, according to Google You Owe Us. The group says its suit is the first collective action of its kind against a major tech company for misuse of personal data.