WSJ Tech News Briefing
TNB Tech Minute: Google Settles Lawsuit Over Cellular Data Collection
28 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
AI is transforming industries, but the data centers powering it require more energy and water than ever. At the break, join Christoph Beck, Chairman and CEO of Ecolab, for insights on using water effectively while safeguarding this critical resource for future generations.
Here's your afternoon TNB Tech Minute for Wednesday, January 28th. I'm Julie Chang for The Wall Street Journal. Google will pay $135 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged the company programmed its Android operating system to illegally collect consumers' cellular data. Under the proposed settlement filed in a federal court yesterday, class members will receive monetary payments.
The company would also be required to change its Google Play Terms of Service and the setup screens for new Android mobile devices in order to disclose its data practices and get users' consent to use their data. Google said the case misrepresents industry practices.
Fidelity Investments has announced it will launch a stablecoin, becoming one of the nation's first mainstream investment companies to issue its own crypto dollar. The company said today its Fidelity Digital Dollar will be available to both individual investors and institutions in the coming weeks.
Last summer, Congress passed legislation paving the way to bring stablecoins into the financial mainstream. In earnings, Meta reported record sales in the fourth quarter and a massive increase in projected 2026 spending, a sign the company has no plans to slow down its ambitious AI expansion.
The company said capital spending would reach up to $135 billion this year, about 20% higher than Wall Street expectations. Meanwhile, Microsoft posted revenue of over $81 billion for its second fiscal quarter and blew past net income expectations, making $38.5 billion.
Operating income increased by 21 to more than $38 billion, and the company's closely watched Azure cloud business grew by 39%, matching Wall Street estimates. And that's it for your TMB Tech Minutes. Check back tomorrow morning for another quick tech update.
How are data center operators working to improve sustainability and water savings at every stage of the data center lifecycle? Here's Ecolab's Christoph Beck with some thoughts.
The Mach 7 or the Mach 4, the ones that are really so focused on high-tech, are the most forward-looking. They have the means, they have the mindset, they have the passion for innovation, and they're really open to try new things as well because everything is new with AI and with that technology as well.
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Chapter 2: What lawsuit did Google settle regarding cellular data collection?
And it's really thinking in circular ways, being in a data center or in a microchip manufacturing plant.
Learn more about Ecolab at Ecolab.com.
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