Google Agrees To $93 Million Settlement Over Privacy Concerns

Bijay Pokharel September 15, 2023

Google Agrees To $93 Million Settlement Over Privacy Concerns

Sep 15: Google has reached a $93 million settlement with the state of California over allegations that it violated consumer privacy laws by tracking users’ locations even when they had opted out of location tracking.

The settlement comes after a two-year investigation by the California Attorney General’s Office, which found that Google had misled users about its location tracking practices and continued to track users’ locations even after they had opted out.

“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 with today’s settlement,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I want to thank my Consumer Protection Section for their work on this matter and for securing important privacy safeguards on behalf of all Californians.”

As part of the settlement, Google will pay $93 million to the state of California and will be required to make changes to its location tracking practices. Google will also be required to notify users about its location tracking practices and to give users more control over how their location data is collected and used.

[Originally published on: Google Agrees To $93 Million Settlement Over Privacy Concerns (abijita.com)]