Nov. 14 (UPI) — The attorneys general for 40 states have reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with Google over its location tracking practices, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong confirmed Monday.
The $391.5 million settlement is the largest multistate privacy settlement in U.S. history and relates to location tracking in Google’s account settings menu.
“This $391.5 million settlement is a historic win for consumers in an era of increasing reliance on technology. Location data is among the most sensitive and valuable personal information Google collects, and there are so many reasons why a consumer may opt-out of tracking,” Tong, whose state will collect more than $6.5 million from the settlement, said in a statement released Monday.
“Our (states) investigation found that Google continued to collect this personal information even after consumers told them not to. That is an unacceptable invasion of consumer privacy, and a violation of state law.”
Location data is a key part of Google’s digital advertising business and among the most sensitive and valuable personal information it collects.
The states accused the California-based tech giant of illegally tracking users’ locations.
Even a limited amount of location data can expose a person’s identity and routines and be used to infer personal details. Google uses that data to build detailed user profiles and target ads to consumers on behalf of its advertising customers.
“Google makes the majority of its revenue from using the personal data of those who search in its browsers and use its apps,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement.
“The company’s online reach enables it to target consumers without the consumer’s knowledge or permission.
Missouri’s attorney general started investigating the company in 2017.
The attorneys general found that Google violated state consumer protection laws by misleading consumers about its location tracking practices since at least 2014.
The larger multistate investigation followed a 2018 Associated Press article that revealed Google “records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to.”
Specifically, the settlement found Google misled users about the scope of the location history setting and also collected location information.
The settlement requires Google to be more transparent with consumers about its practices, including showing additional information to users whenever they turn a location-related account setting “on” or “off.”
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