Google has settled a privateness lawsuit with a coalition of 40 state attorneys common as we speak. Google agreed to pay $391.5 million for deceptive Location History settings the corporate was operating from 2014-2020.
Google’s Location History settings have gotten it in hassle with a number of regulatory our bodies. The motion started after a 2018 Associated Press article identified that the “Location History” test field did not management all Google location historical past throughout your whole account and that many location monitoring options lived below a second test field referred to as “Web & App Activity.” Consumers would possibly flip off the “Location History” test field pondering it stopped all Google location monitoring, however it was really just for a single Google Maps function. Google misplaced a case in Australia over this setting in 2021 and not too long ago settled a separate lawsuit with Arizona for $85 million. Just a few different states nonetheless have pending lawsuits.
Google redesigned its privateness settings a number of instances because the AP article, and in a weblog submit on the settlement, Google mentioned the ruling was “based mostly on outdated product insurance policies that we modified years in the past.” As a part of the settlement, Google guarantees to make extra privateness settings modifications in “the approaching months,” saying the modifications embrace:
- Revamping consumer info hubs: To assist clarify how location information improves our providers, we’re including extra disclosures to our Activity controls and Data & Privacy pages. We’re additionally making a single, complete info hub that highlights key location settings to assist folks make knowledgeable decisions about their information.
- Simplified deletion of location information: We’ll present a brand new management that enables customers to simply flip off their Location History and Web & App Activity settings and delete their previous information in a single easy stream. We’ll additionally proceed deleting Location History information for customers who haven’t not too long ago contributed new Location History information to their account.
- Updated account set-up: We’ll give customers organising new accounts a extra detailed rationalization of what Web & App Activity is, what info it consists of, and the way it helps their Google expertise.
Ellen Rosenblum, the Oregon lawyer common, recapped the lawsuit, saying, “For years, Google prioritized profit over the privacy of people who use Google products and services. Consumers thought they had turned ‘off’ their location tracking features on Google, but the company continued to secretly record their movements and use that information for advertisers.”
Google’s enterprise mannequin is nearly solely made up of monitoring folks and utilizing that information to point out them related adverts throughout the Internet. The firm’s final yearly report confirmed $282 billion in income, so for “years” of privateness violations, that $392 million settlement works out to about 12 hours of income.