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Buzz Class Action
According to the terms of the settlement, Google will create a fund worth $8.5 million that will go to non-profit organizations that help protect internet privacy.
Google has released a statement saying “We are satisfied with the agreement and are glad to move forward.”
Since the lawsuit was filed in February of 2010, Google has made plenty of changes to better suit internet privacy advocates. People were originally upset over the way Google Buzz almost forced people to be followed and to follow others on Google Buzz through Gmail. A lot of people were furious over the way Gmail and Buzz interacted with each other when they first were implemented together.
The Plaintiff Lawyer had this to say:
“We feel this settlement has many benefits to class members, including providing a significant amount of money to non-profit groups committed to educating users about Internet privacy and ensuring that Buzz users can join this on-line community without compromising their privacy.”
The following dates have been set in the Google Buzz Class Action Settlement:
- December 6, 2010 – Exclusion Deadline (received)
- January 10, 2011 – Objection Deadline (received)
- January 31, 2011 at 9:00 A.M. – Fairness Hearing.
It doesn’t appear as though a settlement of $8.5 million will greatly effect Google’s stock price. It was up today in trading, and isn’t expected to take a hit over a mere $8.5 million settlement.
More information can be found at http://buzzclassaction.com
