The attorneys general of several US states, including Texas, Indiana and Washington D.C., are suing internet giant Google to obtain users’ location data through deceptive tactics.
Google used that data to advertise in a more targeted way. Prosecutors say the unauthorized data collection took place from 2014 to at least 2019 on smartphones running Google’s Android operating system and other apps and web services from the internet giant.
In addition, Google continued to track the location of users’ smartphones, even though they had disabled that feature, via the separate ‘Web & App Activity’ account settings.
“In reality, regardless of the settings they choose, consumers who use Google products have no option but to allow the company to collect, store and use their location,” the lawsuit said in a Washington DC lawsuit was submitted.
In addition, the attorneys denounce that Google uses conflicting and confusing settings, making it more difficult for consumers to prevent data sharing.