Last year, the federal court sided with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on the complaint that Google continued tracking the movements of Android and Pixel users unless they said “No” or “Do Not Collect” to both “Location History” and “Web & App Activity.”
Per ACCC, the issue may have affected nearly 1.3 million Australian users. Google believes only a narrow group of users was impacted.
A federal court hearing was told today that Google has agreed to a penalty of $60 million. The Mountain View giant also updated the settings that formed the basis of the complaint in 2018. The court has also asked Google to take measures to ensure a commitment to compliance and also educate its staff on Australian Consumer law.
Google says that it took care of the issue before the Federal Court action was brought and has changed the way it manages location data.
We’ve invested heavily in making location information simple to manage and easy to understand with industry-first tools like auto-delete controls, while significantly minimising the amount of data stored. As we’ve demonstrated, we’re committed to making ongoing updates that give users control and transparency, while providing the most helpful products possible.”
