Technology giant Google was fined millions of dollars for stealing location data and misleading consumers. Here are the details!
Technology giant Google is facing a new lawsuit. The company kept a record of some Android phone owners even when location history was set to ‘off’. Google has long been in a court case with the Australian competition watchdog for misleading users about the collection of personal location data. As a result, the company faces a multi-million dollar fine.
Google fined $60 million for violating consumer rights
Last April, a federal court found that Google violated consumer laws by misleading some local users. The company led users to believe that it did not collect personal data about their location through mobile devices powered by the Android operating system. Users, in turn, considered the Google location data action as ‘stealing’ their location information.
The case concerned whether Google continued to collect location data even when a user’s location history was set to ‘off’. It added that the company had engaged in behavior that misled the public. It was also against Google for making misleading statements about the performance characteristics of a service.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said at the time that it was sending a message to digital platforms to be open with consumers about the use of their data. Today, a settlement was reached between the parties in court. The parties agreed a fine of $60 million as ‘fair and reasonable’. It was also revealed that Google has taken remedial measures.
The court also heard arguments about whether the fine would make future behavior ‘economically unreasonable’. Thawley also stated that the fine was within the appropriate range and that he was satisfied with the outcome.
