According to a lawsuit filed by attorneys general from both parties, Google has been using “dark patterns” and deceptive techniques to track the physical location of its customers even when those customers have taken steps to prevent Google from doing so.
Several states have filed complaints against Google over the company’s acquisition of location data, which may be used to target advertisements and develop user profiles.
Since 2014, Google has been accused by the District of Columbia’s Attorney General of making false and misleading claims to the public regarding how users can opt-out of location monitoring. As stated by Google, users’ Google accounts can be configured to block location data monitoring, but other settings, such as in specific applications or other portions of Google’s settings panel, may still allow the tech giant to collect location data without the user’s knowledge.
To get past users’ explicit preferences, the complaint claims that Google also used workarounds such as IP addresses to figure out where people were located or apps installed on mobile devices to collect location data.
Google is said to have used “dark patterns,” subtle design choices that encourage users to engage in Google-friendly behavior.
To get users to supply more and more location data, Google employs a variety of dubious methods such as “repeated prodding,” “misleading pressure techniques,” and “evasive and false descriptions of location capabilities and settings.”
In the complaint, the claimed illegal behavior impacts all mobile users, whether they use an Android device, an iPhone, a computer, or a tablet.
According to a statement from Google spokesman José Castaeda, the lawsuits are based on “inaccurate claims and outdated representations concerning Google’s settings”.
Read more on Tech Gist Africa:
Donald Trump has filed lawsuits against Twitter, Google, and Facebook, citing censorship.
For monitoring private users’ data in incognito mode, Google is facing a $5 billion lawsuit.