A new lawsuit accuses Google of sneakily tricking people into letting it track their location data

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Four attorneys general from Washington D.C. and three states are suing Google over what they say is the firm's deceptive and unfair practices to trick users into sharing their location data.

The lawsuits, filed Monday, claim Google makes it difficult for users to opt out of location tracking, giving the company access to data to help fuel its lucrative advertising business. Google harnesses the data about where people go, such as to church or restaurants, to build digital identities and better target ads to them.

The complaints also reference so-called dark patterns, or design features that trick users into making certain decisions that benefit the company's business.

One of these patterns, the suit alleges, is the constant displaying of banners asking users to share their location on the company's various products, such as in Chrome or on its Pixel smartphones, or telling users that its products won't work well if they turn their location sharing off.

"Google claims that changing your device and account settings protects your data," D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said in a press release. "The truth is, since 2014, Google has systematically surveilled users no matter what settings they choose."

The suit references a 2018 Associated Press report that showed a public spotlight on Google's tracking of consumers, even when they told the company not to.

The attorneys general are seeking to put an end to Google's tracking practices and monetary penalties to "disgorge all profits and benefits obtained from its unlawful practices." They're also fighting to fine the company for violations of the Consumer Privacy Protection Act.

Google spokesman José Castañeda told Insider that "the Attorneys General are bringing a case based on inaccurate claims and outdated assertions about our settings. 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 lawsuit comes amid a fresh wave of Washington scrutiny of the tech industry, including Google. The tech giant has primarily been scorned for antitrust reasons over its dominance in the search and ad market, but data privacy concerns have also been included in the conversation.

Monday's suits are also another example of state-level lawmakers taking legal action and regulation of the tech world into their own hands. There is bipartisan support for tighter reins on tech within Congress, but Republicans and Democrats have vastly different motivations, which has led to delays in passing certain bills.

 

 

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