Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

TL;RD

  • Google agreed to pay $392 million for misleading users who thought they had turned off location tracking.
  • The agreement sets a new record for Internet privacy agreements in the US.
  • Google will have to provide clearer disclosures about its tracking in 2023.

Google has found itself in legal trouble multiple times in 2022. But it appears the company is, at least, closing the door on one of its lawsuits from earlier in the year. Unfortunately for Google, the conclusion of this lawsuit will cost the tech giant $392 million.

In January, the attorneys general of Washington, DC, Texas, Washington state, and Indiana launched a case against Google. The lawsuit alleged that Google misled users by collecting their location data even when those users thought they had turned off tracking.

According to TechCrunchDC Attorney General Karl Racine had this to say:

Google falsely led consumers to believe that changing their account and device settings would allow them to protect their privacy and control what personal data the company could access. The truth is, contrary to Google’s representations, it continues to systematically monitor customers and profit from customer data.

Fast forward to November, and it looks like Google will have to pay a hefty sum for its transgressions. According to The New York Times, Google has reached a settlement of 391.5 million dollars. In response to the settlement, the attorneys general reportedly said that the settlement is “the largest Internet privacy settlement in the United States.”

Although the outcome of this lawsuit has been decided, Google still has a lot at stake. Last month, the Texas attorney general filed a lawsuit against Google alleging that the company collected biometric data without user consent.

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