A U.K. group called "Google You Owe Us" declared legal action against Google, claiming the tech giant unlawfully harvested iPhone users' personal data, The Guardian reports.
Here are four things to know about the lawsuit.
1. The group — led by Richard Lloyd, former executive director of the consumer body Which?, and advised by law firm Mishcon de Reya — alleged Google breached privacy principles outlined in the U.K.'s data protection laws by bypassing privacy settings on users' iPhones between June 2011 and February 2012.
2. Mr. Lloyd accused Google of unlawfully using data stored in Safari, the iPhone's default internet browser, according to The Independent. The class-action lawsuit, which is expected to start next year, seeks at least £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in compensation for the 5.4 million people in Britain who used iPhones during the period between June 2011 and February 2012.
"I believe that what Google did was simply against the law. Their actions have affected millions, and we'll be asking the courts to remedy this major breach of trust," Mr. Lloyd told The Guardian. "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."
3. In August 2012, Google agreed to a civil penalty of $22.5 million under a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The FTC alleged Google misrepresented whether it would place tracking cookies or allow targeted advertisements to users on the Safari browser, according to The Independent.
4. A Google spokesperson told The Guardian, "This [type of case] is not new. We have defended similar cases before. We don't believe it has any merit and we will contest it."
Editor's note: Becker's Hospital Review reached out to Google for comment and will update as more information becomes available.