Google Sued For Location Tracking In Australia

Google’s location tracking fiasco is coming back to haunt the tech giant. The Australian competition watchdog has begun proceedings against Google over the case of “false or misleading representations” over location history collection.

Google’s collection of location data

Back in August last year, an investigation revealed that Google tracks users’ location data even after users turn off the location settings in their Android device.

Later, Google admitted that users would have to go all the way to the “Web and App Activity” settings in order to disable the location tracking.

Over the months, Google made a lot of promises; in fact, made a few settings change bundled in Android 10 that brought location tracking settings in reach to users. But it seems like the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) won’t let Google get away with it.

ACCC sues Google over misleading users

Previously, ACCC pledged to investigate how big tech giants such as Google use algorithms for targeted advertising. The court case appears to be the reflection of ACCC promises.

According to the Australian watchdog, from January 2017 until late 2018, Google misled users on what information is being stored by Google.

“We are taking court action against Google…[It] has collected, kept, and used highly sensitive and valuable personal information about consumers’ location without them making an informed choice,” ACCC chair Rod Sims said in a statement.

In response to the start of legal proceedings in New South Wales, Australia, Google said in a statement, “We continue to engage with the ACCC and intend to defend this matter.”

This is not the first time ACCC is taking Google to courts. In the past, the Australian watchdog has investigated Google over misleading ads displayed on the search results.

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