Wisconsin part of multistate, $391M location tracking settlement with Google

Wisconsin will receive $8.4 million after reaching a multistate settlement with Google over location tracking practices relating to Google Account settings

The $391.5 million agreement includes 40 states and is the largest attorneys general privacy settlement in the history of the United States, according to the Wisconsin Attorney General's office. The settlement also requires Google to be more transparent with consumers about its practices.

“Big tech companies must respect people’s privacy and be transparent about their practices,” Attorney General Josh Kaul said. “I’m proud to be part of this bipartisan group of AGs that’s standing up for consumer privacy.”

Nearly 90% of all internet searches in the U.S. are on Google, leaving consumers with little other choice than to accept its less popular privacy practices and data collection policies, according to the lawsuit.  

The attorneys general opened the Google investigation following a 2018 Associated Press article that revealed Google “records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to.”

The article focused on two Google account settings: Location History and Web & App Activity. Location History is “off” unless a user turns on the setting, but Web & App Activity, a separate account setting, is automatically “on” when users set up a Google account, including all Android phone users. 

Google violated state consumer protection laws by misleading consumers about its location-tracking practices since at least 2014, according to the settlement.

Under the terms of the settlement, Google must:

• Show additional information to users whenever they turn a location-related account setting on or off.
• Make key information about location tracking unavoidable (not hidden) for users.
• Give users detailed information about the types of location data Google collects and how it’s used at an enhanced “Location Technologies” webpage.

The settlement also limits Google’s use and storage of certain types of location information and requires Google account controls to be more user-friendly.

More:Chain of small Wisconsin newspapers sues Google, Facebook, alleging antitrust violations

Contact Corrinne Hess at chess@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @CorriHess.