Delaware to get $4.3 million from historic settlement with Google
DELAWARE – 40 states have reached a historic $391.5 million settlement with Google over its location tracking practices. It’s the largest multistate Attorney General privacy settlement in U.S. history. Delaware will receive over $4.3 million from the settlement.
“Today’s settlement demonstrates my office’s ongoing commitment to protecting the personal data of Delaware’s citizens from Big Tech and ensuring Delawareans are able to make informed decisions regarding their highly sensitive information,” wrote Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings in a statement.
Google’s digital advertising business is supported in large part by its location data, says the Attorneys General. Personal and behavioral data collected by Google can be used to build detailed user profiles. Those profiles are then targeted by ads on behalf of Google’s advertising customers. Attorneys General say location data is among the most sensitive and valuable personal information that Google collects. Even a limited amount of location data can expose a person’s identity and routines, they say.
The lawsuit alleges that Google records users’ movements even when they opt for the search giant not to. Location history is off, unless a user turns on the setting. However, web and app activity, a different account setting, is automatically on when users set up a Google account. The settlement accuses Google of violating state consumer protection laws by misleading customers about its location tracking practices since at least 2014.
The settlement requires Google to be more transparent with consumers about its practices. Google must show additional information to users whenever they turn a location-related account setting on or off. It must also make key information about location tracking unavoidable for users, and give users detailed information about the types of location data Google collects and how it’s used. The settlement also limits Google’s use and storage of certain types of location information.
