Google Owes Users $23M: How To Claim Your Share In California

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — Did you Google anything between 2006 and 2013? If your answer is 'yes' — and it probably is — you could be entitled to a slice of a $23 million settlement from the tech company.

The agreement stems from a 2013 class action lawsuit that accused Google of "storing and intentionally, systematically and repeatedly divulging" user searches to third-party websites and companies, amounting to a privacy-law violation and a breach of Google's own rules, the New York Times reported.

Given the enormous number of Google users, individual payouts are expected to be $7.70, according to a website set up by the plaintiffs' lawyers. Perhaps more valuable to the average user, the Alphabet-owned company is now required to update its disclosures about how search queries can be shared with third parties.

Google admitted no wrongdoing as part of the settlement agreement.

The lawsuit claimed that Google search queries often contained personal information, including users' names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and more, which put users' at risk of identity theft, the Times reported.

Here's what you need to know:

• The settlement covers people who clicked on a Google search result between Oct. 25, 2006 and Sept. 30, 2013.
• The deadline to file a claim is July 31.
• If you want to be part of any other lawsuit against Google about the claims in this case, you need to exclude yourself by July 31.
• You can object to the settlement, or speak in court about the fairness of the settlement. The deadline to file for that consideration is July 31.
• Complete instructions on how to participate or exclude yourself can be found on the settlement website.

The final court approval hearing is set for Oct. 12, though appeals will still be possible after that.