Google accused of continuing to track users even after turning off location tracking, paying more than R$160 million to settle two lawsuits
OR Google has agreed to pay US$29.5 million, an amount equivalent to R$160.4 million, to settle two pending lawsuits in US justice over its user tracking practices on Android and iOS. The lawsuits were filed by two states and accuse the company of hiding options related to location services, as well as continuing to collect data from them even after the features are turned off.
- How to protect your personal information in a data-driven society?
- 80% of companies in Brazil have not yet adapted to the LGPD
Of the total, US$ 9.5 million, equal to approximately R$ 51.6 million, will be paid to the state of Washington, while US$ 20 million, equal to approximately R$ 108.7 million, will settle the dispute brought by the Indiana. In both cases, the accusation is that Google has tracked users without their explicit consent, building online behavior patterns that have violated citizens’ privacy to deliver advertisements.
One of the points in the processes was a setting called Web and App Activity, which was discovered in 2018 and which continued to collect user location data even when the main function related to it was disabled. Furthermore, Google has been accused of using design elements to make it difficult to access and understand the options, creating obstacles for the user to manage their information.
In addition to paying the amounts, Google must also notify users of information collection and the existence of two separate options for this purpose, as well as create tutorials that give users more control and understanding. In addition, the company must publish pages that indicate all possible data sources and request express permission from citizens to share telemetry with advertising partners.
We sued because Google made it nearly impossible for users to stop tracking their location. Now, thanks to this agreement, Google must also clarify to consumers how their location data is collected, stored and used.
Read the agreement: https://t.co/D6TUaRNDGZ
— Archive: AG Karl A. Racine (@AGKarlRacine) December 30, 2022
“VITTORIA: My office has settled with Google for a $9.5 million payment for deceiving and manipulating consumers, including using ‘dark schemes’ to trick users into accessing their location data .
We sued because Google made it nearly impossible for users to stop their location from being tracked. Now, thanks to the agreement, Google must make it clear to consumers how their location data is collected, stored and used.”
The values ​​also join a fine of $391.5 million (roughly R$2.1 billion in direct conversion), paid in December last year to 40 states that filed similar lawsuits against Google. There are still two other lawsuits, in Washington and Texas, related to similar matters, with the expectation that they too will be resolved with the payment of a million-dollar settlement.
In November 2022, in one of its latest defenses related to the lawsuit, Google said the allegations relate to outdated product policies, with added elements of privacy and transparency to give users more control. The company also said it would create a unique location, web and app library and further facilitate mechanisms for people to request deletion of what has already been obtained from the company.
Source: The news about hackers
Trending on Canaltech:
- A comet seen 50,000 years ago approaches Earth, perhaps for the last time
- Are ‘Galaxy Forever’ Shows Worth It?
- The pale blue eye | Meet Netflix’s Mystery Movie Starring Christian Bale
- HBO Max Releases for the Week (04/01/2023)
- Do you know the difference between the mosquito and the dengue mosquito?
- 7 new features that could arrive on iOS 16 in 2023
+The best content in your email for free. Choose your favorite Terra newsletter. Click here!
Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
