Google agrees settlement in Buzz privacy case

Google has said that a settlement for a class-action suit by Gmail users over privacy violations related to Google Buzz has been granted preliminary approval by a US federal district court judge.

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The approval was reached on 7 October but the company only released the news on Tuesday as it is now preparing to notify Gmail users. The settlement, proposed in September, calls for Google to pay $8.5m (£5.3m) towards a fund for organisations focusing on internet privacy policy or education. "We are satisfied with the agreement and are glad to move forward," Google said in a statement. "We have always been committed to offering users transparency and choice in Buzz and all our products, and will continue to work together with users to provide the best experience possible."

Google Buzz received criticism upon launch, in part for being too closely tied to Gmail. The company later made some changes to the settings and the amount of user control over the service.

This ZDNet UK-selected story originally appeared as Google Buzz settlement gets preliminary approval on ZDNet.com.