Australian Court Finds Google Misled Consumers About Location Data, Regulator Says

   By Mike Cherney 
 

SYDNEY--An Australian court found that Alphabet Inc.'s Google misled some consumers about personal-location data collected through Android mobile devices, the country's competition regulator said Friday.

The Federal Court said Google misrepresented that the location-history setting was the only setting that affected whether Google collected location data, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said. In fact, another Google setting called web and app activity also enabled Google to store location data.

"Today's decision is an important step to make sure digital platforms are up front with consumers about what is happening with their data and what they can do to protect it," said ACCC Chair Rod Sims.

Any penalties will be determined at a later date, the ACCC said.

A Google spokesperson said the court rejected many of the regulator's claims and that the tech giant disagreed with the remaining findings. Google said it is reviewing its options, including a possible appeal.

"We provide robust controls for location data and are always looking to do more--for example we recently introduced auto delete options for location history, making it even easier to control your data," the spokesperson said.

Write to Mike Cherney at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 15, 2021 22:57 ET (02:57 GMT)

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