 settlement with 40 states in connection with an investigation into how the company tracked users' locations. They called it the largest multi-state privacy settlement in US history. The investigation by the states found that Google continued to track people's location data even after they opted out of such tracking. Connecticut attorney general William Tong said in a statement: 'This 391.5 million dollar 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.' The lawsuit kicked off after the Associated Press reported many Google services on Android devices and iPhones store your location data even if you have used a privacy setting that says it will prevent Google from doing so. Computer science researchers at Princeton confirmed the findings and an additional report in 2018 found the privacy issue with location tracking affected some two billion users of devices that run Google's Android operating software and hundreds of millions of worldwide iPhone users who rely on Google for maps or search. The attorneys general who investigated Google said a key part of the company's digital advertising business is location data, which they called the most sensitive and valuable personal data the company collects. Even a small amount of location data can reveal a person's identity and routines, they said. Google uses the location information to target consumers with ads by its customers, the state officials said. The attorneys general said Google misled users about its location tracking practices since at least 2014, violating state consumer protection laws. As part of the settlement, Google also agreed to make those practices more transparent to users, including showing them more information when they turn location acc){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Google has agreed to a 391.5 million US dollar (£333 million) settlement with 40 states in connection with an investigation into how the company tracked users’ locations.
They called it the largest multi-state privacy settlement in US history.
The investigation by the states found that Google continued to track people’s location data even after they opted out of such tracking.
Connecticut attorney general William Tong said in a statement: ‘This 391.5 million dollar settlement is a historic win for consumers in an era of increasing reliance on technology.