Australia: Australian Federal Court dismisses ACCC lawsuit against Google for allegedly misleading consumers about expanded use of personal data

On 9 December 2022, the Australian Federal Court dismissed a case brought in 2020 by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) against Google for allegedly misleading consumers to obtain their consent to expand the scope of personal information that the platform could collect and combine about consumers’ internet activity, for use by Google, including for targeted advertising. The Court found that the changes to the privacy policy were not misleading because Google had requested consent of account holders. Further, the Court found that Google had not reduced consumers’ rights under the new privacy policy.