Millions of internet users could be potentially involved in a class action lawsuit against the search giant Google, after it was accused of illegally collecting personal data.
Experts have said it will be the first mass legal action of its kind in the UK.
A consumer group, known as “Google You Owe Us”, is launching the claim on behalf of users.
The group alleges that Google was able to “harvest” the browsing history of millions of iPhone users between June 2011 and February 2012 – known as the “Safari Workaround”.
According to reports, Google could be forced to pay out up to £2.7 billion in compensation after selling off the data to third parties.
Google You Owe Us said: “We have started a representative action against Google because we believe they abused the rights of iPhone users by taking their data unlawfully.”
The group estimates that approximately 5.4 million individuals were affected between 2011 and 2012. If successful, members of the class action could be entitled to as much as “several hundred pounds each”.
The group advised that those potentially affected by Google’s actions should seek independent advice, as settling would block them from any further action.
The group is led by Richard Lloyd, the representative claimant. He said: “I believe that what Google did was quite simply against the law. Their actions have affected millions, and we’ll be asking the courts to remedy this major breach of trust.
“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.
“In all my years speaking up for consumers, I’ve rarely seen such a massive abuse of trust where so many people have no way to seek redress on their own. That’s why I’ve taken on one of the biggest fights of my life in representing this legal action, which is the first of its kind in the UK against a major tech company for misusing our valuable personal data.”
Google settled out of court with a small number of iPhone users in 2015, giving way to a much wider legal inquiry.