An Australian court has decided to fine Google A$60 million (approximately US$43 million) for the way the Silicon Valley giant collects personal location data.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), a consumer watchdog, sued Google, alleging that in 2019 the company misled Android phone users from January 2017 to December 2018 by saying that the “Location” setting History was the only way Google could collect it. opened. data. personal information about your location data.
But an earlier court ruling found that Google violated Australian consumer law as it collects personally identifiable location data via Web & App Activity when enabled by default.
The ACCC estimates that 1.3 million users may have viewed a fake settings page with their personal location data.
The court also ruled on subsidiary Alphabet Inc. Comply with Australian consumer law while ensuring that its employees receive training on this.
ACC President Gina Kass-Gotlieb made a statement following the court’s decision:
This harsh sentence, handed out by the court today, sends a clear message to digital platforms and other businesses, large and small, that they must not mislead consumers about how their data is collected and used.
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Personal location data is sensitive and sensitive to some consumers, and some users who see the posts may make different choices about the collection, storage and use of location data unless misleading statements are made by Google.
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Companies must be transparent about the types of data they collect and how the data is collected, and it can be used to help consumers make decisions about who to share this data with.
Both the ACCC and Google have accepted a financial penalty. The major tech company was also ordered to pay part of the fine to the consumer watchdog.
According to Australian news company ABC News, Google made a statement regarding the decision.
“We’ve invested heavily in making location information easier to manage and understand using industrial tools such as automatic deletion controls, and significantly minimizing the amount of data stored,” said a Google spokesperson.
“As we demonstrate, we are committed to continuous updates that give users control and transparency while delivering the most useful products,” Google said.
The Silicon Valley giant says it fixed the location privacy issue in 2018.
As Breitbart News previously reported, Google is also facing lawsuits in Texas, Indiana, Washington and Washington DC over the company’s “deceptive” location tracking.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at: @EthanLetkeman.
Source: Breitbart
