Google fined over $42 mln for misleading Australian users regarding location tracking data

American multinational technology company Google has been slapped with a fine of over $42 million for allegedly deceiving several Australian mobile users regarding the collection and use of their personal location data between January 2017 and December 2018. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), a consumer protection agency, filed a lawsuit against Google in the Federal Court in 2021, claiming that the issue might have impacted around 1.3 million users in the country, ABC News reported. 

According to reports, the Federal Court ruled that Google misrepresented to some Android users about account settings, saying 'Location History' was the only setting that determined whether Google collected, stored, and used personally identifiable information about their location. However, there was another account feature called Web & App Activity that by default allowed Google to collect personal data as well. Later, the issue was fixed by Google in December 2018. Notably, the $60 million fine was agreed upon by the ACCC and Google's international division. 

Google agrees to reach settlement with ACCC

According to ACCC chief Gina Cass-Gottlieb, the severe penalty to the company was proportionate for the compromise of such sensitive information. "It sends a strong message to digital platforms and other businesses, large and small, that they must not mislead consumers about how their data is being collected and used," he stated, as per ABC News. Additionally, Google was mandated by the Federal Court to change its practices to demonstrate its commitment to compliance and to train employees on Australian Consumer Law. Google claimed in a statement that the issue had been resolved before the matter was brought to the  Federal Court and that it had agreed to reach a settlement with the ACCC.

Russian court imposed a hefty fine on Google

Earlier in July, a Russian court imposed a fine of 21 billion rubles on Google for refusing to delete content which has been prohibited in the nation. The fine levied on Google is around 10% of Google's revenue in Russia, Sputnik reported. A judge in a Russian court ruled that Google is "guilty of an administrative offensive" and imposed a fine of 21,770,392,317 rubles (over Rs 3,000 crores). According to reports, there have been disagreements between Google and the Russian government regarding the removal and restrictions imposed on several YouTube channels over the past few months. 

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