Google agreed to pay $93 million to the state of California to resolve claims that it tracked users’ locations without their knowledge. Under the terms of the proposed agreement, Google must also provide more information about the location data it collects from users.
The settlement follows a “multi-year” investigation by the California Department of Justice, which found that Google misled users into believing they were not being tracked when in fact they were. According to the complaintGoogle continued to collect and store users’ location data even when they turned off the “Location History” setting within their apps and services, allowing the company to use this information for targeted advertising.
Google has since addressed the issues described in the complaint, company spokesman José Castañeda said. The edge the allegations are “based on outdated product policies that we changed years ago.” California now requires Google to disclose that the location data it collects about users can be used to personalize ads, provide more transparency about location tracking, and provide detailed information about the data it collects on its website.
“Our investigation revealed that Google told its users one thing: that it would no longer track their location once they opted out, but did the opposite and continued to track its users’ movements for its own commercial benefit,” the Prosecutor said. California General Rob Bonta. he says in a statement.
