Google settles for $ 30 million in the US for misleading with location settings

Google settled with two US regions because the company allegedly misled consumers with the settings for storing location data. The company will pay a total of $29.5 million. The company previously settled with 40 states for $391.5 million.

The settlements revolve around the Web & App Activity setting, where Google asked users if it could keep the search history, Chrome browser history, and activity history of sites and apps that use Google services. This would allow Google to give the user better search results and suggestions.

If users enabled this function, Google collected the location data of users, as it turned out in 2018. Prosecutors from dozens of American states believed that Google violated the law because the company did not make it clear that it collects location data with this setting. The company also collected the location data when users disabled the Location History function. The prosecutors therefore filed lawsuits. Google recently settled with two plaintiffs. The company pays the state of Indiana according to Associated Press 20 million dollars, Washington DC will receive $9.5 million.

Google says it has not violated the law, but has since adjusted the settings. In November the company settled according to AP for $391.5 million with forty US states. In Australia it did come to a lawsuit; here the company was fined 60 million Australian dollars, then 41.5 million euros.