Google has agreed to pay $391.5 million to the attorneys general of 40 states over its location tracking practices. The settlement states that Google misled its users into turning off location tracking, even though the company continued to collect their location information. The investigation, which is the largest ever consumer privacy settlement led by attorneys general, is being conducted jointly by Oregon and Washington.
“For years, Google prioritized profit over user privacy. They were cunning and deceptive. Users thought they had turned off Google’s location tracking features, but the company continued to secretly record their movements and use that information for advertisers.”,
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in a press release.
Along with these changes, Google will create a comprehensive information center that will highlight key location settings. In addition, the global company plans to provide users who create new accounts with a more detailed explanation of what Web & App Activity is and what information they include. The company said it will continue to delete location history data for some users. Google is currently facing a lawsuit from Washington, Texas and Indiana. Last month, the company agreed to pay the state of Arizona $85 million to settle a separate lawsuit.