wtf, can they just do that ? @_@
They can’t issue a subpoena themselves, but they can ask the judge presiding over the case to issue it for them if they can muster a good enough argument for why the data would be useful enough to the case.
ye but that’s what i mean, they can’t just say “oh we want all this secret data from this company because it’s totally useable in our case”, right? like what mental judge signs off on this 
The article only claims that Epic has asked for the information and Valve declined. I can’t be bothered to read the linked pdf itself to see if there’s any more info.
ahaha down with Google and Apple!
ewww cant believe I’m rooting for Epic right now. Well, one evil at a time, I suppose.
ahahahha, i love this little tidbit, "It carves out an exemption for game consoles and other “special-purpose devices.” - oh the feckin irony 
aka Tim Apple 
“Eligible consumers will receive at least $2, according to the settlement, and may get additional payments based on their spending on the Play store between Aug. 16, 2016 and Sept. 30, 2023”
Oh boy, $2. Just think of all the bills I can pay with that.
On a serious note, this is separate from the Epic lawsuit.
Isn’t it a bit dubious that a company can settle with the government for $???
There’s a very thin line separating that from pure corruption there, so thin I can hardly see it. I guess the difference is it doesn’t go into some lawmaker’s pocket (hopefully) but it still feels like legalized corruption regardless. The company literally gets to pay $ instead of receiving a legal judgment and being sentenced and punished instead.
That’s wild.
Legal battles can be long and drawn out. I can understand why settling out of court is an option. Helps alleviate court case load and allows both parties to negotiate. It’s something that is available to everyone. As for the legal ramifications, IANAL, but i think Google might be found liable by default.
That being said, the amount they are paying is probably less than the profit gained. And that is definitely something that is problematic in the US. The fines are not deep enough to actually do much.