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Google Secretly Recorded Users’ Location Data, Lawsuits Allege

A number of lawsuits filed in the US allege that Google deceived customers by tracking and recording their location even after they opted to turn off tracking on smartphones and browsers.

Desite telling customers that opting out of collection of their “Location History” would be enough to stop the tech giant from tracking them, this is untrue, according to one of the suits, which alleges Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube and more continue to track data, even when not in active use.

“In reality, regardless of the settings they select, consumers who use Google products have no option but to allow the Company to collect, store, and use their location,” the suit states.

“Simply put, even when a user’s mobile device is set to deny Google access to location data, the Company finds a way to continue to ascertain the user’s location.”

 

Google disputes this.

“The attorneys general are bringing a case based on inaccurate claims and outdated assertions about our settings,” said Google spokesman José Castañeda.

“We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data. We will vigorously defend ourselves and set the record straight.”

The suit refers to internal company documents in which a Google employee allegedly says that the user interface for Google Account Settings “feels like it is designed to make things possible, yet difficult enough that people won’t figure it out.”



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