Apple gets a moment of relief in a California privacy fight

Apple has reportedly scored a win in a class action lawsuit that claimed the Cupertino tech giant was recording the mobile activity of users without their consent. But the fight is far from over. 

Apple scores a win in a legal battle over privacy concerns in California 

The lawsuit was filed back in November 2022. Apple was accused of giving false assurances to users that they were in control of their privacy and what information they shared when using built-in iPhone apps, such as the App Store and Apple Music. 

The lawsuit further claims that the Cupertino tech giant's options to disable device analytics sharing, as well as the ability to opt out of settings like "Allow Apps to Request to Track," did not prevent the company from collecting data. Reportedly, the data it had allegedly collected despite these settings was related to browsing activity and other activity, done for monetization purposes. 


Judge Edward J. Davila sits on the US District Court for the Northern District of California and reportedly has given the plaintiffs one final opportunity to amend and refile their complaint. 

The ruling, however, only dismissed the California law-related privacy claims. A few other claims in the lawsuit are still active and have gone through an earlier ruling in September 2024. 

The claims that remain are based on the "Share Device Analytics" setting. These claims include breach of contract, violations of consumer protection laws in several states (Illinois, New Jersey, and New York), and unjust enrichment. 

Privacy and big tech 

Privacy-related lawsuits like this aren't unusual in the tech world, and Apple isn't alone here. Over the years, companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon have all faced legal trouble over how user data is collected or used. 

We've seen location tracking concerns and all sorts of other issues, including how apps share data with advertisers. Usually, these cases tend to pop up whenever privacy settings and real-world data practices don't fully line up.

Apple itself has dealt with similar scrutiny before, including questions around Siri recordings, iCloud data access, and analytics collection. Other tech giants have faced even bigger backlash – Meta has repeatedly been fined in Europe over ad tracking, while Google has settled multiple cases tied to location and browsing data. 

So yep, this California lawsuit may sound alarming at first, but it fits into a much bigger picture. We are becoming more privacy-conscious, and companies would have to adjust how data is handled. It's an ongoing tug-of-war across the entire tech industry, not just an Apple problem.

I want clear choices and transparency 

I don't expect any tech company to be perfect, but I do expect clear choices and honest explanations about what data is collected and why. If a setting says it turns something off, then it should actually turn it off – no fine print, no surprises.

What I like is that cases like this keep pressure on big tech companies to be more careful and more transparent. We are all paying more attention now, and that's a good thing. I want to use my phone without constantly wondering what's being logged in the background. Yes, Apple scored a win here, but the general direction in which the industry looks promising to me.