Google Settles Australian Location Data Charges

Google has agreed to pay around $AUD 60m ($US 40m) to settle claims that it misled consumers about use of their location data, back in 2017-18.

Between January 2017 and December 2018 users of Android phones were led to believe that a setting entitled 'Location History' would control whether or not their location data was made available to the search and ad targeting giant; whereas in fact another option also allowed the collection of this information, and this 'Web & App Activity' tab was set by default to 'on'. Users looking to turn it off were greeted with messages suggesting they would lose access to 'faster searches' and 'customized experiences' if they did so, without mention of location data.

The settlement follows action by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) in October 2019, by which point Google had amended the appropriate notices. Quoted on www.mumbrella.com.au , ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb stated: 'This significant penalty imposed by the Court today sends a strong message to digital platforms and other businesses, large and small, that they must not mislead consumers about how their data is being collected and used... Personal location data is sensitive and important to some consumers, and some of the users who saw the representations may have made different choices about the collection, storage and use of their location data if the misleading representations had not been made by Google. Companies need to be transparent about the types of data that they are collecting and how the data is collected and may be used, so that consumers can make informed decisions about who they share that data with'.

Google, which would have faced stiffer penalties based on more recent laws had the infringements occurred two years later, is the subject of similar investigations now in Europe.

Web site: www.accc.gov.au .