Google has “tricked” users into giving up their location data: lawsuit

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Google used “deceptive and unfair” practices to trick users into giving up valuable location data, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by attorneys general in Washington, DC and three states.

The lawsuit filed in the Washington, DC civil court focuses on so-called “dark patterns” – deceptive web design schemes that can trick users into making certain choices.

In Google’s case, the company allegedly used obscure patterns in users’ account settings to trick people into giving up detailed location data, which helped the company make money by targeting online ads more effectively.

In one example, Google Maps told mobile users that they had to agree to share their location history to “get the most out of Google Maps,” although Google Maps could function normally without that data, according to the lawsuit.

In another case, Google repeatedly “pushed” users who refused to share location history with new requests to enable the setting.

“By repeatedly pushing users to enable Google account settings, Google increases the chances of a user enabling the setting inadvertently or out of frustration,” the attorneys general wrote.

Google allegedly used “dark models” to trick users into giving up detailed location data. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Google also provided users with “misleading, ambiguous and incomplete descriptions” of other location and privacy settings, leading some users to believe they were not sharing data with the company even when they were, according to the lawsuit.

“These practices harm consumers who want to protect their sensitive location information from disclosure to Google and Google’s advertising customers, making it difficult for consumers to deny Google access to their location information, regardless of whether that information is. necessary to provide services to the consumer ”, wrote the attorneys general.

“The Attorneys General are bringing a case based on inaccurate claims and outdated claims about our settings. We have always built privacy features into our products and provided strong controls for location data. We will defend ourselves vigorously and set the record straight, “Google spokesman José Castañeda said in a statement.

The lawsuit comes as the company is facing a flurry of regulatory battles, including a Texas-led antitrust lawsuit over its advertising practices and a pending Senate bill that would prevent the company from giving its products a head start in search results. .

The attorneys general want to hit Google with a fine and prevent the company from using “deceptive and unfair practices”. LightRocket via Getty Images

Attorneys General say Google has violated consumer protection laws and is trying to fine the company, as well as stop it from continuing such practices.

“Google has collected huge amounts of location data from unwitting users and monetized that data to serve Google’s advertising offerings without users knowing or consenting,” Washington, DC, Texas Attorneys General wrote. , Washington state and Indiana in the bipartisan case.

News of the lawsuit was first reported by the Washington Post.

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