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Google has spent the last decade and a half redefining its engineering culture as a design-focused company. But a recent scene that played out in court offered a sad rebuke of the narrativeouting Google as either entirely incompetent at design or manipulating in its practice. The company has been facing a federal jury this week in California, around a class action suit that claims between 2016 and 2024, Google saved and used “pseudonymous” information about its users without consent. Despite customers opting out of data collection on Google services, the suit alleges that Google still accessed their data collected via third party apps. How? Google tapped the data tracked by its own analytics software incorporated inside of these apps. (Google did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.) Explained like that, it seems almost obvious that Google could be privy to data. But of course, most users have no idea what analytics software their apps are using, and furthermore, plaintiffs argue that 98 million people opted out of Google having their third party data collected. They believed they were covered, even if there were some other hidden terms and conditions offered by individual apps. Defending bad behavior As part of its defense, Google brought in an expert witnessGeorge Washington University professor Donna Hoffmanto argue their case. According to Law360, Google used a technique of progressive disclosure so that the most important disclosures were aired to users first. She also stated that Google employed good UI design to avoid cognitive overload. Progressive disclosure isn’t an inherently deceptive UX practicedone right, and the technique can reveal more of a service or app’s capabilities in respect to someone’s attention span. You learn more about it, bit by bit, over time. Video games are designed around the very principle. You learn how Mario jumps before you learn how he flies. Hoffman said that it was a technique Google used to satisfy its very different styles users, who interact with legalese in different ways, who Google dubs “skippers, skimmers and readers.” But Google leveraging progressive disclosure in this instance is bogusand I offer that analysis as a design expert myself (who is not being financially compensated as an expert witness). There is nothing in terms of design challenges stopping Google from offering a single switch right on their homepage for a user to opt out of every type of potential tracking from Google forever. That would not overload anyones cognition, especially compared to the strange maze of settings and explainer pages that Google uses to index matters of privacy. Plaintiffs even presented evidence that employees inside Google were skeptical that theyd provided proper privacy disclosures to users. [Screenshot: Apple] Google is hardly the only bad actor in this space. Apple created the privacy dystopia we live in as much as any other peer. To this day, it offers a terrible UX option to iPhone users, who must allow or ask app not to track them in a popuprather than just denying the request on their customers behalf. Every time, I worry my thumb will slip and hit the wrong choice, when the anti-consumer option shouldn’t even be presented to me in the first placelet alone from a company that claims to be privacy-first. If Google loses this case, the payout to consumers could be quite large. Plaintiffs are placing the value of the data at $3 per month. And with 173 million affected customers, that would reach up to $29 billion in compensatory damages. As companies go even deeper into our lives, offering AI software a direct firehose of our personal data, disclosures around privacy are only going to grow murkier and more complex. Even if plaintiffs win this trial, our privacy feels like a losing battle.
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E-Commerce
A Salmonella outbreak linked to recalled eggs has infected at least 95 people, mostly in California. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the illness has occurred across at least 14 states. Seventy-three of the illnesses have been in California, and 18 people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Here’s what to know: What products and brands are affected? Country Eggs, LLC, a Lucerne Valley, California, company, issued a recall for its Large Brown Cage Free “Sunshine Yolks” eggs on August 27, 2025. The recall came after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted the company of the possible contamination. The recall notice stated that the eggs were delivered to stores in both California and Nevada, and the affected brands include: Nagatoshi Produce Misuho Nijiya Markets Country Eggs. Notably, some of the recalled products are still current. According to the notice, they have the codes No. CA-7695, along with sell-by dates ranging from July 1 through September 18, 2025. Where did people get sick? In addition to California and Nevada, 12 other states have seen illnesses, including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington State. Screenshot via FDA In an update published on Thursday, the FDA noted that the organization “conducted traceback based on where ill people reported shopping or eating eggs/egg-containing dishes during the timeframe of interest, and Country Eggs, LLC, was identified as a common supplier.” It said the company had stopped production of the affected products as the investigation continues. “Ensuring the safety and quality of the eggs we supply to our customers is our responsibility and our focus each day. We know this is concerning, and supporting you through this process is our priority,” Country Eggs said in a statement. “We apologize for the disruption this situation creates in your business. We are committed to addressing this matter fully and to implementing all necessary corrective actions to ensure this does not happen again,” the statement continued. What should I do if I have these eggs? Consumers were urged to check their refrigerators for the recalled eggs and either discard them or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. They were instructed to direct questions to Country Eggs LLC at INFO@countryeggsllc.com or 1 (800) 722-3447. The recall is not the first to hit egg brands recently. Earlier this summer, at least 1.7 million August Egg Company eggs were also recalled over Salmonella concerns. At least 79 people were infected with the illness at that time. According to the CDC, Salmonella can be a deadly bacteria. Those with compromised immune systems and the elderly are at heightened risk.
Category:
E-Commerce
Another week, another nugget of unfortunate sales news for Tesla: According to new data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), European Tesla car registrations were down for the seventh consecutive month in July, while registrations soared for the companys Chinese competitor BYD. BYDs European sales first overtook Tesla back in May. At the time, Felipe Munoz, global analyst for the vehicle data firm JATO Dynamics, told Reuters, This is a watershed moment for Europes car market, particularly when you consider that Tesla has led the European BEV market for years, while BYD only officially began operations beyond Norway and the Netherlands in late 2022. In the weeks since then, BYD has only continued to build on its success, slowly boxing Tesla out as the dominant EV player in Europeand potentially inching toward overtaking Tesla as the global EV leader. A widening gap In early August, data from automotive firms in both the U.K. and Germany already revealed that Tesla had stumbled on sales in July compared to BYD. Now, the ACEAs new reportwhich accounts for countries in the European Union, the U.K., and the European Free Trade Associationshows that the same pattern played out across the entirety of the European market. Per the ACEA report, European car registrations of Tesla vehicles totaled 8,837 in July, down 40% year-on-year. BYD reported 13,503 registrations, up 225%. In terms of total market share, BYD now controls 1.2% of the market compared to Teslas 0.8%. From a macro perspective, July is a reflection of a broader pattern thats emerged in 2025: Since January, European Tesla registrations have slumped by over 33% compared to the same period in 2024, while BYDs registrations have risen by over 290%. As BYD has continued to grab European market share this year, its simultaneously been working on improving its tech to garner more mass market appeal. In March, the EV maker launched a new ultrafast charging system that it says is nearly as quick as pumping gas, and in July, it debuted a groundbreaking self-parking ability that allows it to navigate parking lots, find a spot, and park completely autonomously. Both are features that Tesla has yet to achieve. Meanwhile, Tesla has been battered this year by CEO Elon Musks reputational damage, a massive Cybertruck recall, and declining revenue. Recently, the brand has been shifting focus away from its existing vehicle lineup and toward breaking into the nascent robotaxi industry (though a recent Florida court verdict may stifle those plans). In a recent interview with CNBC, Thomas Besson, head of automobile sector research at Kepler Cheuvreux, said that Tesla has been actively trying to distract investors from its vehicle sales. They talk about almost everything else but the car theyre selling at a slower pace now because effectively, the age of their vehicle is much higher than the competition and the latest products have not been as successful as hoped, notably the Cybertruck, Besson said.
Category:
E-Commerce
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