Google Agrees to Pay $29.5 Million to Settle Location Tracking Lawsuits

 Google has settled two more location tracking lawsuits in the United States, totaling $29.5 million. The lawsuits, which were filed in Illinois and California, allege that Google violated state and federal laws by collecting and storing location data from users without their knowledge or consent.

The Illinois lawsuit was filed in October 2018 and accuses Google of violating the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act by collecting and storing biometric data, including location data, from users of its Android operating system. The California lawsuit, which was filed in January 2021, makes similar allegations and also accuses Google of violating the state's Invasion of Privacy Act.

In settling the lawsuits, Google has agreed to pay a total of $29.5 million and has also agreed to make changes to its data collection practices. Specifically, the company has agreed to improve its disclosures to users about how it collects and uses location data, and has also agreed to obtain express consent from users before collecting and storing their location data.

The settlements mark the latest in a series of legal challenges that Google has faced over its data collection practices. The company has faced criticism in the past for its use of data to target advertisements and for its handling of personal data, and has faced numerous lawsuits and regulatory actions as a result.