Google pays $29.5 million to settle user location tracking lawsuits

Google has agreed to pay a total of $29.5 million to settle two lawsuits over the company’s tracking of customer locations.

Google used location data from Indiana consumers to create detailed user profiles and targeted ads — but has been misleading users about those practices since at least 2014, said Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R), whose state along with Washington, DC , had filed a lawsuit against the company

Google is paying Indiana $20 million to settle the state’s lawsuit over the company’s “deceptive location tracking practices,” Rokita said in a statement released Thursday.

“This settlement is another manifestation of our unwavering commitment to protecting Hoosiers from Big Tech’s intrusive plans,” added Rokita. “We will continue to hold these companies accountable for their improper manipulation of consumers.”

DC Attorney General Karl Racine (D) tweeted on Friday that his office had also reached a settlement with Google over the $9.5 million matter. He said Google tricked customers into gaining access to their location data. Google did it”almost impossible‘ so users can prevent their location from being tracked, he argued.

Racine said that as part of the settlement, Google will be required to make clear to its customers how their location data is collected, stored and used.

WIN: My office reached a settlement with Google, requiring the company to pay $9.5 million for deceiving and manipulating consumers — including using “dark patterns” to trick users and gain access to their location data obtain.

— AG Karl A. Racine (@AGKarlRacine) December 30, 2022

Several states have filed lawsuits against Google after a disturbing story from the Associated Press in 2018 revealed the extent of Google’s customer location tracking.

The company in November agreed to pay a record $391 million to settle an investigation into its tracking practices launched by a 40-state coalition. Officials had complained that Google even tracks customers who have opted out of tracking.

It was the largest multi-state privacy settlement in US history.

Google didn’t immediately respond to the latest agreement. But the company said in November that its controversial location-tracking practices had been shut down years before the previous deal.