A search for “Australia News” on the Google Home page on a desktop computer in Sydney, Australia on Friday January 22, 2021.
David Gray | Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Australian federal court found that Google misled users about personal location data collected via Android mobile devices between 2017 and 2018, the country’s competition authority said on Friday.
The Australian Competition and Consumers Commission (ACCC), which launched a lawsuit against Google in 2019, said the ruling was an “important win for consumers” in terms of protecting online privacy.
Google has misled Android users that the search giant can only collect personal data if the setting “location history” is activated, according to the ACCC. The court found that Google can still collect, store and use personal location data when the setting for “Web and application activity” is enabled – even when “Location history” is disabled.
“This is a major victory for consumers, especially those concerned about their online privacy, as the court’s decision sends a strong message to Google and others that big corporations must not mislead their customers,” said Rod Sims , Chairman of the ACCC, in a statement.
We disagree with the remaining results and are currently evaluating our options, including a possible legal remedy.
A Google spokesman pointed out that the court rejected many of the ACCC’s general claims.
“We do not agree with the remaining results and are currently examining our options, including a possible legal remedy,” the Google spokesman said in a statement.
Following the ACCC’s lawsuits, the tech giant has since improved user visibility and control, including an automatic location history erase feature and an incognito mode in its Maps product.
The ACCC said it was seeking statements, fines, disclosure orders, and compliance orders, but did not disclose the amount.
“In addition to the penalties, we would like Google to release a notice to Australian consumers to better explain Google’s location data settings in the future,” said Sims, adding that users can make informed decisions about whether to leave certain Google- Settings activated.
The competition regulator and the technology giant had previously dealt with a media law that would require Google and Facebook to pay for news. Australia passed this law in parliament in February.
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