Google has to transfer 85 million dollars (around 86 million euros) to the US state of Arizona!
Google must pay the US state of Arizona $85 million (around €86 million) to avert a lawsuit filed by the local attorney general in May 2020. In it, he accuses the internet company of having been spying on users' location information via smartphones without being asked since 2018 and further processing it for advertising purposes . The tech giant speaks of a penalty for “outdated product strategies” and refers to new, stricter data protection rules.
“Largest fine per capita”
“This settlement represents the largest per capita fine ever paid by Google in connection with a consumer fraud and privacy violation lawsuit,” said Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Basically, it's about showing how the Internet company collects data such as location information from its users in order to operate its own services and boost its advertising business.
“They told consumers that they could turn off location tracking by reconfiguring their privacy settings,” explains the US lawyer. However, an investigation by the Associated Press found that Google collects such data even if users deactivate tracking. “Our own investigation then clearly showed that the company engaged in deceptive and unfair practices in order to collect as much data as possible about users. It is also made extremely difficult for them to understand what is happening with their data ,” Brnovich summarizes.
Similar things in other states
“This case is based on product strategies that are outdated and changed years ago ,” said Google spokesman José Castañeda. It actually provides its users with very simple controls and, optionally, an automatic deletion function for localization data. In addition, we always work to keep the amount of information that is collected as low as possible. “We are pleased that this matter has now been resolved and will continue to concentrate on offering helpful products for our users,” adds Castañeda.
Whether this justification is enough for lawyers and customers remains to be seen. What is certain is that Arizona is not the only US state in which Google is threatened with negative legal consequences due to its data collection activities. Similar lawsuits are also being prepared in Washington, Indiana and Texas.
Sources
pressetext.at
Bloomberg
Also read: What Google knows about you – and how you can control it!
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