Is Google monitoring your location even once you suppose you’ve turned it off? US states sue over “deception” • Graham Cluley

4 US states have launched a legislation go well with towards Google, claiming that the know-how big continued to trace customers’ location, even after they customers had requested it to not.

It’s probably not information that Google does that. In truth, again in 2018 I reported on how disabling an choice known as “Location Historical past” didn’t stop Google from storing your exact location.

What’s information is that the states of Texas, Indiana, Washington, and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit towards Google, and it doesn’t mince its phrases:

“Google has systematically misled, deceived, and withheld materials information from customers in Texas about how their location is tracked and used and the best way to cease Google from monetizing their actions. Extra to the purpose, whereas many Texans could moderately consider they’ve disabled the monitoring of their location, the truth is that Google has been arduous at work behind the scenes logging their actions in an information retailer Google calls ‘Footprints.’ However whereas footprints usually fade, Google ensures that the situation info it shops about Texans is just not so simply erased.”

Google is determined to know your location because it helps them present extra focused promoting (and, in fact, to cost its advertisers extra money for extra exact focusing on).

Many individuals are uncomfortable with the thought of Google and different massive know-how corporations monitoring them on this manner, and so may have chosen to alter the “Location Historical past” setting.

What’s inexcusable, for my part, is that privacy-conscious customers have been misled into believing that they’d informed Google they didn’t need to have their location tracked, and but it didn’t really cease Google storing information about customers’ areas.

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You’ll be able to’t assist however suspect that Google intentionally designed its software program to work on this manner, to profit its advertisers moderately than shield the privateness of its customers.

Google, in the meantime, seems to be getting ready to defend itself vigorously over the accusations.

“The attorneys normal are bringing a case based mostly on inaccurate claims and outdated assertions about our settings,” stated spokesperson José Castañeda in a press release. “We’ve all the time constructed privateness options into our merchandise and supplied strong controls for location information. We’ll vigorously defend ourselves and set the report straight.”

Be sure to have checked your Google account settings (right here’s how) if you wish to really feel extra assured that Google isn’t monitoring your location.

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