US top court undermines Google settlement in internet privacy case

[WASHINGTON] The US Supreme Court on Wednesday cast doubt on a US$8.5 million settlement Google had agreed to pay to end an internet privacy dispute, directing a lower court to review whether plaintiffs who accused the search engine operator of wrongdoing in a class action lawsuit were legally eligible to sue.

The justices threw out the lower court's ruling that had upheld the settlement and directed it to take a fresh look at whether the plaintiffs had actually been harmed by Google and had the necessary legal standing. The plaintiffs had argued that Google violated federal privacy law by allowing other websites to see users' search queries.

REUTERS