Entertainment
Google ordered to pay $425m in privacy case
A federal jury decided on Wednesday that Alphabet’s Google must pay $425 million for invading users’ privacy by continuing to collect data for millions of users who had switched off a tracking feature in their Google account.
The verdict followed a trial in the federal court in San Francisco over allegations that, for more than eight years, Google accessed users’ mobile devices to collect, save, and use their data, breaking privacy assurances under its Web & App Activity setting.
The users had been seeking more than $31 billion in damages.
The jury found Google liable on two of the three claims of privacy violations raised by the plaintiffs. However, it decided that Google had not acted with malice, meaning the company was not liable for any punitive damages.
A spokesperson for Google confirmed the verdict. Google had denied any wrongdoing.
The class action lawsuit, filed in July 2020, alleged that Google continued collecting users’ data even when the setting was turned off, through its connections with apps such as Uber, Venmo, and Meta’s Instagram, which rely on Google’s analytics services.
At trial, Google argued that the data collected was “nonpersonal, pseudonymous, and stored in segregated, secured, and encrypted locations.” The company said the data was not tied to users’ Google accounts or any individual identity.
US District Judge Richard Seeborg certified the case as a class action, covering about 98 million Google users and 174 million devices.
Google has faced other privacy lawsuits, including one earlier this year where it paid nearly $1.4 billion in a settlement with Texas over claims that the company violated the state’s privacy laws.
In April 2024, Google also agreed to destroy billions of data records of users’ private browsing activities to settle another lawsuit, which alleged it tracked people who believed they were browsing privately, including in “Incognito” mode.
Ryan Reynolds turned heads on Thursday evening as he hit the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival for the world premiere of John Candy: I Like Me.
The 48-year-old Deadpool star, who produced the film, was joined by director Colin Hanks, son of Tom Hanks, for the star-studded debut.
Reynolds looked stylish in a brown corduroy suit layered over a vintage Canada T-shirt, completing the look with brown-and-white loafers.
According to Daily Mail, he was accompanied by his mother, Tammy Reynolds, who flashed a smile in a black-and-white polka dot ensemble paired with silver platform shoes.
Moreover, Colin Hanks revealed a different appearance from his usual clean-cut image, sporting a bushy salt-and-pepper beard, slim frame, and retro browline glasses.
He opted for a navy suit and gray button-down shirt for the premiere.
Eugene Levy, a longtime collaborator of Candy’s, was also in attendance, lending support to the tribute.
Speaking to the TIFF audience, Hanks said the Canadian premiere was a natural choice, “We had numerous conversations with various people about where would the dream place be to premiere this movie, and the truth is the answer resides in the lyrics of John’s favorite song: Oh Canada, Our Home and Native Land.”
Reynolds paid tribute to Candy, who died in 1994, calling him “the greatest, most beautiful man that I never met,” adding, “I’ve been obsessed with him for a very long time. My goddamn suit is covered in John tonight.”
The documentary, acquired by Amazon Prime Video, was made with the support of Candy’s widow, Rosemary Margaret Hobor, and their children, Jennifer and Chris.
It features never-before-seen home videos, family archives, and interviews, offering a rare glimpse into Candy’s life off-screen.
Following the release of season 2 of Meghan Markle’s lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, an expert has stepped forward to discuss her chances at a recovery.
The chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, Eric Schiffer, spoke to Newsweek about this.
In that conversation he brought up the question “Can she turn it around?” before offering the answer himself and saying, “Of course.”
The reason for Mr Schiffer’s faith relies on the fact that “she’s one big creative idea away from making it interesting.”
Because as it stands, the consultant believes, “they could go back and pitch Season 3 as something that would shock everyone and create a lot of buzz but a ruthless read from a PR war room would be that the show’s cozy authenticity didn’t get traction, it failed bad.”
All because “the lifestyle lane is unforgiving.”
In Mr Schiffer’s eyes, “unless you either have some repeatable utility or can shock hardcore then viewers are going to ghost you like an ex.”
At the end of the day, anyone in Hollywood is “competing with influencers and YouTube and minds that are willing to take those risks,” Mr Schiffer added. “I was with some of the big creatives that have helped MrBeast yesterday and these are avante gard thinkers.”
Before concluding, he added too that in order to make it work, “she needs to tie in with those folks, they’ll figure out the game.”
TikTok star Haley Kalil has shut down the rumors of dating the actor Austin Butler.
Speaking to TMZ on Thursday, the American influencer confirmed that she and the Dune 2 star are not dating.
Rumors of Haley and Austin’s dating surfaced after she was misidentified as the mystery woman spotted alongside the Elvis actor in a TikTok clip posted this week.
The 34-year-old actor was seen dining with an unidentified woman on a sunny balcony, who some claimed was TikToker Haley.
Now, Haley denied the rumors of dating Austin.
“It’s not me, but I wish it was. Austin, my DMs are open,” the model told the outlet.
For those unversed, Haley was previously married to NFL player Matt Kalil. She filed for divorce from the professional player in 2022.
On the other side, Austin recently called it quits with model Kaia Gerber after three years of dating.
Prior to his romance with Kaia, the Caught Stealing actor was in a relationship with actress Vanessa Hudgens—the former couple dated each other between 2011 and 2019.
In 2024, in an interview with Esquire, Austin said that he felt “so much love and care for” Vanessa despite their split.
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