{"id":2032863,"date":"2023-09-15T06:26:04","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T10:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/google-to-pay-california-93-million-to-settle-location-tracking-lawsuit\/"},"modified":"2023-09-15T06:30:40","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T10:30:40","slug":"google-to-pay-california-93-million-to-settle-location-tracking-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/google-to-pay-california-93-million-to-settle-location-tracking-lawsuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Google will pay California $93 million to resolve location tracking lawsuit."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgoogle-to-pay-california-93-million-to-settle-location-tracking-lawsuit%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2032863&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Google to Pay $93 Million Settlement to California for Unauthorized Location Tracking<\/h2>\n<p>In a significant legal development, Google\u2062 has agreed to pay $93 million to\u200b the state of California to settle allegations of collecting and using consumers&#8217; location \u200bdata without their consent. The settlement \u2064comes after a multi-year\u2064 investigation by\u200d the California Department of Justice, which found that Google was \u2062deceiving \u2062users by collecting, storing, \u2063and utilizing\u200b their location data for profiling\u2062 and advertising purposes without informed consent.<\/p>\n<p>California Attorney \u2064General Rob Bonta\u200b emphasized that Google&#8217;s actions were contradictory to what they\u2064 were telling users. Despite assuring users that their location would no longer be tracked once they\u2063 opted out, Google continued to track their movements for its own\u2063 commercial gain. \u200cBonta stated, &#8220;That&#8217;s\u200c unacceptable, and we&#8217;re holding Google accountable with today&#8217;s settlement.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As part of\u2064 the settlement, Google will need to adhere to\u200d certain requirements, including providing more transparency about its \u2062location tracking practices and informing users that their\u200d location information could be used for targeted ads. The \u2064tech giant will also be required to\u200b show additional information to users when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/google-to-pay-california-93-million-to-settle-location-tracking-lawsuit\/\" title=\"Google will pay California  million to resolve location tracking lawsuit.\">enabling\u200c location-related account settings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Google\u200d Pays\u2064 $391 Million to 40 \u200bStates<\/h3>\n<p>This is not the first\u200c time Google \u2063has faced legal consequences \u200bfor its location \u200ctracking practices. In November of last year, the company reached a $391.5 million\u2062 settlement with \u200b40 states, marking the largest privacy settlement led by \u2064multi-state attorney generals in U.S. history.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation into Google&#8217;s practices was initiated after a 2018 Associated Press article revealed that the company continued \u200cto track people&#8217;s\u2064 location \u200bdata even \u2062when they had opted \u2063out of such tracking. The attorneys general highlighted the sensitivity and value of location data, as even a small\u200b amount can unveil a person&#8217;s identity and routines.<\/p>\n<p>Google was accused of misleading users about its location tracking practices since 2014, violating state consumer protection laws. The settlement requires Google\u2063 to make its practices more transparent, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/deterrence-through-presence-army-sustainment-to-u-s-marine-corps-stand-in-forces-in-the-indo-pacific\/\" title=\"Deterrence Through Presence: Army Sustainment to U.S. Marine Corps Stand in Forces in the Indo-Pacific\">including providing detailed information<\/a> when users \u200dtoggle location account settings and maintaining a webpage that discloses the data collected.<\/p>\n<p>Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed the first state action \u200dagainst Google in May 2020, alleging that the company had deceived \u2063users into believing they could \u2064maintain their privacy by disabling location tracking. Arizona settled its case with Google for $85 million.<\/p>\n<p>This settlement \u2064serves as a reminder of Google&#8217;s responsibility to obtain explicit \u200cconsent from users for the\u200b data they collect. By taking these legal actions, state attorney \u200cgenerals aim to ensure that tech\u2062 companies prioritize \u200dconsumer \u2064privacy and adhere to ethical practices.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\"><em>The Associated Press\u2062 contributed to this report.<\/em><\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Will \u200cthe tool developed by\u2063 Google to understand and \u2062manage location data\u200d settings be easily \u200baccessible and user-friendly for individuals<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Cy around its location data\u2063 practices. This includes clearly and prominently \u200dinforming users about \u200chow their location data is collected, stored, and used, as well as obtaining explicit \u200bconsent\u2063 from users before collecting their data. Additionally, \u2064Google will\u2063 be required \u2063to develop a tool that allows \u2064users to easily understand and manage their location data settings.<\/p>\n<p>The unauthorized tracking of users&#8217; location data\u2062 raises serious concerns about privacy \u2063and the control individuals have over their personal information. In this digital age, where technology\u2062 plays an increasingly central \u2064role in our lives, it \u2064is crucial for companies to prioritize user privacy and obtain proper consent for the collection and use of personal \u2062data.<\/p>\n<p>This settlement \u200bserves \u200cas \u200ba reminder that even tech giants like Google are not above the law and must \u200cbe held accountable for their actions. It sends a strong message to other companies that engaging in deceptive practices and\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-court-says-ftc-can-sue-facebook-for-antitrust-violations\/\" title=\"Federal Court Says FTC Can Sue Facebook for Antitrust Violations\">violating user privacy<\/a> will not be tolerated.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, this case\u2063 highlights the\u2063 importance \u200cof government oversight and\u200d regulation \u200bin protecting consumers.\u200b The California Department of Justice&#8217;s thorough investigation demonstrates the value of regulatory agencies in uncovering wrongdoing and ensuring \u2063that companies are\u2064 operating within the confines of the law.<\/p>\n<p>While\u200b the $93 million settlement\u2062 is a \u200dsubstantial financial \u2063penalty, it is important\u200b to note that it \u2063represents just a fraction of\u200c Google&#8217;s overall\u200c revenue.\u2062 Some critics\u200c argue \u2064that this\u200c amount is merely a slap on\u2062 the \u200cwrist for a company \u2062of Google&#8217;s size and\u2062 influence. \u2062However, the \u2063settlement also requires Google to make significant changes to its practices, which will\u200b have a lasting impact on how the company handles location data going forward.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, this settlement serves \u200bas a wake-up call for both consumers \u2063and companies alike. Consumers must remain vigilant and educated about the ways\u200d in which their personal data is collected and\u200d used, while companies must prioritize transparency and informed\u200d consent. \u200dOnly through such vigilance and accountability can we \u2062navigate the complex landscape\u2063 of digital privacy in the modern age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google will pay $93 million to California for illegally collecting and utilizing users&#8217; location data without consent. The settlement was agreed upon by Google, accepting strict injunctive terms, as announced by California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Sept. 14.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":2032864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2032863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2032863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2032864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2032863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2032863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2032863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}