The states’ investigation was sparked by a 2018 Associated Press story, which found that Google continued to track people’s location data even after they opted out of such tracking by disabling a feature the company called “location history.”
Search giant Google has agreed to a $391.5 million settlement with Colorado and 39 other states to resolve an investigation into how the company tracked users’ locations, state attorneys general announced Monday.
It comes at a time of mounting unease over privacy and surveillance by tech companies that has drawn growing outrage from politicians and scrutiny by regulators. The Supreme Court’s ruling in June ending the constitutional protections for abortion raised potential privacy concerns for women seeking the procedure or related information online.
In its 2018 story, The AP reported that many Google services on Android devices and iPhones store users’ location data even if they’ve used a privacy setting that says it will prevent Google from doing so. Computer science researchers at Princeton confirmed these findings at the AP’s request. The attorneys general who investigated Google said a key part of the company’s digital advertising business is location data, which they called the most sensitive and valuable personal data the company collects. Even a small amount of location data can reveal a person’s identity and routines, they said.
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40 States Settle Google Location-Tracking Charges for $392MGoogle has agreed to a $391.5 million settlement with 40 states in connection with an investigation into how the company tracked users’ locations, state attorneys general announced Monday, calling it the largest multistate privacy settlement in U.S history.
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40 states settle Google location-tracking charges for $392MSearch giant Google has agreed to a $391.5 million settlement with 40 states to resolve an investigation into how the company tracked users’ locations, state attorneys general announced Monday.
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Google to pay 40 states $392M in location-tracking settlementGoogle told users they could turn off location tracking but continued collecting that data to sell ads, states alleged.
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40 States Settle Google Location-Tracking Charges For $392MGoogle has agreed to a $391.5 million settlement with 40 states in connection with an investigation into how the company tracked users' locations, calling it the largest multi-state privacy settlement in U.S history.
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Google will pay N.J., 39 other states $392M in massive settlement over location trackingGoogle will pay N.J. and 39 other states $392M in massive settlement over location tracking
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Google to pay $392M to 40 states in location-tracking case | Digital TrendsIn what is reportedly the biggest multistate privacy settlement to date, Google will pay $392M to 40 U.S. states to settle a dispute over locationtracking.
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