Google may be set for a very expensive day - the tech giant will learn if it has to pay UK iPhone users as much as £750 each and separately hear the verdict in an appeal against a €4.34bn European Commission fine.
The UK Supreme Court will later today pass judgement in a case brought against Google by some 4mln users (owners of iPhone’s in 2011 and 2012) who claim their data was collected by Google despite default privacy restrictions in Apple’s Safari browser.
Whilst the headline compensation number is £750 per claimant, according to Sky News, the actual pay out may be much lower.
The door could swing open for further claims in the UK against Google related to data protection, if the Supreme Court rules against the US tech giant.
Elsewhere, Google will hear the outcome of an appeal against its record €4.34bn fine by the European Commission in 2018, which related to the control of the Android operation system, the pre-loading of software and default browsers on mobile devices.
Tech commentators say the ruling has the potential to reshape ‘the smartphone landscape’.
These are among several ongoing legal battles being fought by and amongst ‘big tech’.
Last night, a Federal Judge denied an appeal by Apple to a September ruling in its app-store payments dispute with Fortnite owner EPIC Games – effectively forcing the iPhone maker to allow links to third-party payment methods in its app store.
Apple had sought to delay the change through the appeal process.