It was reported that Google misled consumers in terms of location tracking policies. The US state of Washington brought Google to court to settle the lawsuit.
Google deceives users into believing that the collection and use of personal data by Google is under their control when that is not the case. In reality, even if consumers disable the tracking data function on their phones and computers, Google can collect data and use the data for profit. Google does not respect user privacy.
The court ordered Google to be more transparent about its tracking practices and to set up a “tracking technology” page that explains its practices in more detail.
“Today’s decision holds Google, one of the most powerful corporations in the world, accountable for its unethical and illegal conduct,” Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said.
Despite the settlement, Google does not believe it committed wrongdoing.
In November last year, Google paid 391.5 million US dollars to settle similar disputes with 40 states in the United States. Some states are dissatisfied and insist on taking Google to court. In October last year, Arizona settled with Google for $85 million.
In response to the settlement with Washington state, Google responded to a statement issued in the past with multi-state settlements, which emphasized that the company had addressed many of the concerns raised by regulators.
