Google will pay $391 million to settle privacy allegations

Google has agreed to pay $391 million to settle privacy allegations brought forth by 40 states in the US. The states alleged that Google mislead customers about collecting location data and illegally tracked user locations without telling them.

In addition to the settlement, Google has also been ordered to be transparent with their data collection policies and has been told to set up a special web page that explains what data is being tracked and when.

According to Govtech, the court papers said that Google's location data policies, "caused users to be confused about the scope of the Location History setting, the fact that the Web & App Activity setting existed and also collected location information, and the extent to which consumers who use Google products and services could limit Google’s location tracking by adjusting their account and device settings.”

"When consumers make the decision to not share location data on their devices, they should be able to trust that a company will no longer track their every move," Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said in a statement shared with Reuters.