TEKNOKU.me – Google again hit by a problem. Recently, an attorney general for the state of Arizona, United States (US), sued the search engine giant for allegedly inappropriate data collection practices.
According to Attorney General Mark Brnovich, Google deliberately recorded user location data stored on their Android phones.
According to him, location data recording is still being done even though the tracking history feature (Location History) is turned off. The location data collected, continued Brnovich, was then used for business purposes, such as advertisements without the user’s knowledge.
“Google collects detailed information about its users, including the user’s physical location, for advertising purposes,” Brnovich claims.
However, there is no mention of the value of the lawsuit that Brnovich filed against Google.
Brnovich’s suspicion began with an Associated Press (AP) report released in 2018.
The report claims that Google was caught recording the location data of its users, even though features related to these activities were turned off.
Misinterpreting services
Responding to these allegations, Google spokeswoman Jose Castaneda said that Brnovich might misinterpret the services provided by Google.
“The Attorney General and related parties involved in this lawsuit appear to have misinterpreted our services,” Jose said.
Jose also ensures that he always pays more attention to privacy and control features to his users regarding the location recording feature.
“We always embed privacy features into the products we make and give freedom to control location data. We hope to correct these allegations,” he added.
Not just this time, Google has also been sued by a number of parties, related to the data collection policies adopted.
Attorney General of the state of New Mexico, Hector Balderas co-sued Google for alleged irregularities in children’s privacy through educational platforms.
A group of Attorney General in the US, led by the Attorney General of the state of Texas, US Ken Paxton, also reportedly is investigating the online advertising system that is implemented by Google.
After the investigation is finished, they plan to file a lawsuit against Google towards the end of 2020.