Google is set to pay $350 million to settle a data privacy lawsuit from its shareholders over a software glitch on its now-defunct Google+ social media.
The tech giant, on Monday, filed a preliminary settlement in a federal court in San Francisco and is now waiting for the approval of the district court's judge.
The lawsuit, which was first filed in 2018, accused Google of hiding information about a three-year security bug on Google+ that exposes its users' personal data.
According to the lawsuit, the search giant feared increased regulatory and public attention if it disclosed the vulnerability.
The lawsuit was filed by Rhode Island Treasurer James Diossa on behalf of state funding that owns shares in Alphabet, Google's parent company.
Google has continued to deny the accusations, claiming that "we regularly identify and fix software issues, disclose information about them, and take these issues seriously."
US District Judge Tina Thompson presides over Google's settlement filing.
Data Privacy Lawsuits Loom Over Google Products
The Google+ lawsuit was not the first nor will be the last time Google will be subjected to data privacy concerns as state authorities start cracking down on the tech giant's data monopoly.
The recent settlement was just the second part of the case. In 2020, Google agreed to pay $7.5 million to Google+ users over a similar premise.
There was also the recent $5 billion settlement over charges of tracking its users' data even if they the "Incognito Mode" on Google Chrome.
Google has quietly updated its browser's incognito warning to include data tracking notifications following the settlement filing.
Read also: 102 Million People Eligible for $630 Million Google Play Settlement: How to Get Your Share
Claims on Google Settlement Money
There seems to be no information that the recent settlement filed will involve Google+ users as it did before.
However, parts of the settlement usually will go to local governments as additional funds for public projects.
Additional information is expected to arrive following the federal court's decision on Google's filing.
