500
13-year Google privacy settlement pays litigants the equivalent of a Big Mac meal
(www.theregister.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Class action lawsuit becomes mechanism to earn big payday for lawyers with little benefit to claimants. More at 11.
The primary benefit to the claimants is bloodying the corporation enough to stop the shitty practice.
Except the amounts nuts corporations like Google are paying out amounts to just hours of business. It’s not punitive in any way. These low-ball payouts are just a minor cost of doing business for them, and not a disincentive from future bad behavior.
In practice I don't think this ever truly happens. Not doing evil shit costs way more than paying out years after you're caught and making way more money.