According to the latest report, in a legal battle with the Australian competition watchdog, Google has agreed to pay a fine of $60 million because the technology giant is collecting misleading users about personal location data.
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In April last year, the Federal Court of Australia found that Google had violated consumer laws by misleading some users into believing the company was not collecting personal data about their location through mobile devices powered by the Android operating system. Google continues to collect and access location data when a user’s location history is set to “off” but their web and app activity is “on” and their apps are being used.
Google has also been found to have violated two other consumer laws involving conduct that may mislead the public and misleading claims about service performance characteristics. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said at the time the decision sent a clear message to digital platforms requiring them to be upfront with consumers about the use of their data.
The two sides had reached a “just and reasonable” consensus on a $60 million fine, and a brief hearing in the Federal Court of Australia on Friday was heard.
