Google agreed to pay $155 million to settle claims from the state of California and plaintiffs that it misled consumers about the way it tracked location or used consumer data without consent.
It is understood that Google has been accused of serving customized ads to consumers when they have turned off their “location history” settings. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said: “Google mentions in settings that once users choose to turn off Location History, their location will no longer be tracked, but Google continues to track users’ activities to obtain own business interests.”
The California settlement requires Google to pay $93 million and disclose more information about how it tracks people’s movements and uses the data it collects.
The $62 million settlement Google reached with the plaintiffs, after deducting legal fees, will be donated to a court-approved nonprofit organization that tracks Internet privacy issues.
