Georgia: Announced settlement between 40 US States Attorneys General and Google closing investigation into its location data tracking practices

On 14 November 2022, the Attorneys General (AG) of Oregon and Nebraska, alongside thirty-eight Attorneys General, announced that they had reached a USD 391.5 million settlement with Google to close the investigations into its location tracking practices. The settlement terms do not include an admission on Google's part of any alleged misconduct. The Attorney Generals alleged that Google used misleading language concerning users' ability to opt out from location data collection and storage. Furthermore, it was claimed that Google did not clearly state that location data was collected and stored as "web activity" data, misleading users about their ability to revoke their consent for location data collection. Finally, it was claimed that Google failed to disclose that it was using location data for targeted advertising purposes. According to the settlement, Google agreed to disclose and notify users about its policies concerning the usage and storage of location data, specify the types of data collected and its usage for the personalisation of Google products and advertisement purposes. In addition, the settlement requires Google to implement privacy-protecting measures, such as allowing users to set up the automatic periodic deletion of their data and resetting advertising. The requirements outlined in the settlement will become applicable after the court approves it.