Google has reached an agreement to pay a sum of $155 million in order to settle allegations brought forward by the state of California and individuals. These allegations revolve around claims that the tech giant misled consumers regarding its practices relating to tracking their locations and utilizing their data without obtaining consent. The aim of both settlements is to address the accusation that Google deceived users into believing they had control, over how their data was collected and used than they did.
One of the claims against Google was its alleged ability to create user profiles and deliver advertisements even when users had disabled their “Location History” setting. Furthermore, it was asserted that Google provided misleading information regarding users’ ability to block ads effectively.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta disapproved, stating, “Google led its users to believe that once they opted out their location wouldn’t be tracked anymore. However in reality Google continued tracking their movements for its benefit. This is unacceptable.”
As per the settlement terms with California, Google must pay $93 million and provide disclosures regarding its location-tracking practices and data usage.
Regarding the $62 million settlement with plaintiffs, the money will be allocated to organizations approved by the court and dedicated to addressing concerns related to internet privacy. This decision was made because it would be difficult to distribute compensation to 247.7 million adults in the United States who own devices, making it an impractical task.