Why was Google sued for its location tracking practices?

Source: The post is based on the article “Why was Google sued for its location tracking practices?” published in The Hindu on 28th November 2022.

What is the News?

Recently, Google has reached an agreement with the Attorney-Generals of 40 U.S. States to pay a historic $391.5 million settlement over its location tracking practices.

What is the lawsuit against Google about?

Google was found to violate state consumer protection laws by misleading its users about its location-tracking practices since at least 2014. 

The company misled consumers into thinking they had turned off location tracking, when, in fact, the company continued to collect their location information and use that for advertising. 

How does Google use the Location data?

Location data is a key part of Google’s digital advertising business. The company uses the personal and behavioural data it collects to build detailed user profiles and target them with ads. 

In fact, location data is among the most sensitive and valuable personal information Google collects. Even a limited amount of location data can expose a person’s identity, routines and can be used to infer personal details.

What does this mean for Google?

As part of the settlement, Google has agreed to significantly improve its location tracking disclosures and user controls starting next year. 

Google has also been asked to be more transparent about its practices such as:

Google must show additional information to users whenever they turn a location-related account setting ‘on’ or ‘off’. 

Google is not allowed to hide any key information about location tracking to its users and it must give them details about the types of location data it collects and how it is used, at an enhanced “Location Technologies” webpage.