AUSTRALIA’S FEDERAL COURT FOUND GOOGLE MISLED SOME CONSUMERS ABOUT PERSONAL LOCATION DATA COLLECTED THROUGH ANDROID MOBILE DEVICES

 

Karimi & Associates Law Firm presents according to Reuters:

 

The case is related to specific Google settings about its location data collection, location history, and ‘web & app activity. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it is seeking declarations and penalties from Google, though it did not specify an amount.

The court found that Google wrongly claimed it could only collect information from the location history setting on user devices between January 2017 and December 2018.

A setting to control web and application activity, when turned on, also enabled Google to collect, store and use the data and was turned on by default on the devices.

Users were not informed that turning off location history but leaving the “Web & App Activity” setting on would allow Google to continue to collect data, the court found.

A Google spokesman said the company was reviewing its options.

According to the ACCC Chair Rod Sims statement, this is an important victory for consumers, especially anyone concerned about their privacy online, as the Court’s decision sends a strong message to Google and others that big businesses must not mislead their customers.

“The court rejected many of the ACCC’s broad claims and disagreed with the remaining findings and are currently reviewing our options, including a possible appeal,” the spokesman said.