Google Agrees to $93 Million Settlement Over Alleged Misleading Location Tracking
TECH DIGEST- In a significant development, tech giant Google has agreed to a substantial settlement of $93 million following a prolonged investigation into its data practices. The lawsuit, initiated by the California attorney general, Rob Bonta, alleges that Google deliberately misled consumers about the extent of control they had over the tracking and storage of their location information.
Bonta, in a statement announcing the settlement, expressed his concerns, stating, “Our investigation revealed that Google was telling its users one thing – that it would no longer track their location once they opted out – but doing the opposite and continuing to track its users’ movements for its own commercial gain. That’s unacceptable, and we’re holding Google accountable.”
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Google provided users with an option to disable their “location history” and explicitly assured them that their movements would not be tracked if they chose this option. However, the company was found to “continue to collect and store that user’s location data through other sources,” including the default-enabled “web and app activity” tracker.
Additionally, the attorney general’s office alleged that Google deceived users regarding their ability to opt out of location-targeted advertisements, further compounding the issues at hand.
While Google has not admitted any fault in the settlement, the company has committed to a series of conditions beyond the financial penalty. These include greater transparency in its location tracking practices, notifying users before utilizing location information for targeted advertising, and obtaining approval from Google’s internal privacy working group before implementing any substantial changes to their privacy policies.
José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, emphasized the company’s efforts to improve its practices, stating, “Consistent with improvements we’ve made in recent years, we have settled this matter, which was based on outdated product policies that we changed years ago.”
This settlement underscores the growing scrutiny and demands for accountability in the tech industry, highlighting the importance of safeguarding user data and providing transparent and accurate information to consumers regarding their privacy rights
