March 31, 2023

Google Settles with Five States Over Location Tracking Practices

Lori Kalani, Bernard Nash

Cozen O'Connor

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A group of five AGs announced a multistate settlement with Google over allegations that it violated state consumer protection laws by misleading consumers about its location tracking practices.
The settlement resolves allegations that Google caused confusion to users regarding the data collected through its “Location History” and “Web & App Activity” app settings, as well as the extent to which consumers were able to limit Google’s tracking through adjustments to their account settings.
Under the terms of the settlement, Google will pay $9 million total to the five states. The settlement also requires Google to be transparent with consumers regarding its practices, including making key information about location tracking easy for users to find, showing additional information to users whenever they adjust a location-related account setting, and automatically deleting location information collected through Web & App Activity after 30 days.
Google has settled with other states over similar allegations regarding its location tracking practices. We wrote about the company’s recent settlement with Indiana and the District of Columbia here.

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