Oracle—Oracle paid $115M to settle privacy lawsuit over 'worldwide surveillance machine' tracking 5 billion people
In July 2024, Oracle settled a class action lawsuit for $115 million over allegations it operated a 'worldwide surveillance machine' collecting detailed personal data on approximately 5 billion people. The lawsuit alleged Oracle compiled 'digital dossiers' tracking where people browsed, banked, dined, shopped, and used credit cards, then sold this data. Larry Ellison had publicly acknowledged the data collection scope in 2016. Oracle agreed to stop gathering user-generated information from URLs of previously visited websites and collecting text from online forms.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surveillance Technology | +toward | primary | -1.00 |
| User Privacy | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -1.180 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
Oracle settled $115M class action over tracking 5 billion people's personal data
Oracle reached a $115 million settlement in a privacy class action alleging the company operated a 'worldwide surveillance machine.' Plaintiffs alleged Oracle compiled digital dossiers tracking browsing, banking, dining, shopping, and credit card use for 5 billion people globally. Oracle agreed to stop collecting user-generated data from URLs and online forms.