Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody today announced a historic multistate action against Google over the tech giant’s location tracking practices. The announcement follows a historic multistate investigation by Attorney General Moody and 39 other state attorneys general into the company’s location tracking practices and cybersecurity disclosures. As a result of the investigation, the business will pay the states $390 million—including $26 million to Florida. Google must also provide consumers more information and clearer options as it relates to tracking practices.
Location data is a key part of Google’s digital advertising business and is among the most sensitive and valuable personal information the company collects. Even a limited amount of location data can expose a person’s identity by tracking routines that can be used to reveal personal details.
The attorneys general initiated the multistate investigation following a 2018 Associated Press article that revealed the company records users’ movements, even when explicitly told not to. The article focused on two account settings: Location History and Web & App Activity. Location History is turned off by default, but Web & App Activity, a separate account setting, is automatically turned on when users set up a Google account, including all Android phone customers.
As detailed in the agreement, the attorneys general found that Google allegedly violated state laws by misleading consumers about location-tracking practices in various ways since at least 2014. Specifically, the company caused confusion among those who thought location tracking could be limited by turning off Location History, while Web & App Activity continued to track users’ locations.
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