According to a Friday filing in federal court in San Jose, California, Google has worked out an $8.5 million settlement of the class-action case pertaining to its Buzz social-networking feature. The news of the proposed settlement comes at a time when Google has revealed it plans of simplifying its privacy policies to make them more comprehensible. 

As per the court filings, the settlement amount will cover attorney fees and other expenses; and will be donated to Internet privacy and education groups.

The settlement, once it receives the mandatory approval of a judge, will bring to an end a chapter related to Google’s February launch of the Buzz feature – the company’s ill-fated alternative to the popular social networking service Facebook. 

Widespread privacy concerns were raised over the Buzz roll out because the feature divulged the names of Gmail contacts of the users, mostly without their knowledge. Despite the fact that the issue was quickly addressed by Google, it was soon hit with class-action lawsuits that led to the eventual consolidation of the case.

Saying that the company was “satisfied with the agreement” and was “glad to move forward”, Google said in a Friday statement: “We have always been committed to offering users transparency and choice in Buzz and all our products, and will continue to work together with users to provide the best user experience possible.”