“Google agreed to pay $391.5M to settle a lawsuit with 40 U.S. states over allegations that the tech giant was tracking user location data even when users had opted out. A 2018 Associated Press (AP) investigation found that the tracking issue affected as many as two billion people using Google Android devices and hundreds of millions more who used Google Maps.

More:

• The initial claims made by the AP were confirmed by research conducted by Princeton computer scientists.
• State officials involved in the suit against Google said that the company used illicitly-gained location information to target consumers with advertisements.
• State attorney generals claimed that Google misled users about location tracking practices since 2014, violating consumer protection laws.
• As part of the settlement, Google agreed to make those practices more transparent to users by showing them more information when they adjust location tracking settings.
  • It will also provide a website that allows users to see what data Google is collecting about them.”