Google Sued by Australian Consumer Watchdog Over Location Data

The International Business Times (IBT) is reporting that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has filed suit against Google claiming the tech giant misleads consumers about how it collects and uses their data.

The ACCC claims Google used “highly sensitive and valuable personal information” without properly informing consumers and giving them the opportunity to make a choice. According to the ACCC, Google used misleading on-screen prompts and labels regarding what information was being collected. The tech giant claimed that customers’ data would only be used for personal purposes and to make sure Google’s services worked properly when, in fact, the collected was used elsewhere.

According to the complaint, between 2017 and 2018, users who did not turn off the “location history” and “web & app activity” settings had their data collected and used.

ACCC chairman Adam Sims said: “We’re also alleging that some of the behaviour is continuing. We want declarations that the current behaviour should not continue.”

Mr. Sims said the ACCC was seeking “significant penalties,” as well as an admission from Google that its behavior was “inappropriate.” The case will likely be watched closely by similar agencies around the world, as Google and Facebook are already under scrutiny for their handling of consumer data.

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