Google Location Data Privacy Litigation

This landmark privacy class action alleged that Google LLC continued to collect, store, and monetize the precise location data of Android and iOS users even after those users had explicitly disabled the "Location History" feature in their account settings. Plaintiffs argued that Google's own support documentation falsely assured users that turning off Location History would prevent the company from retaining location information — when in reality, other account activity settings continued to log granular location data that was used to target advertising. The lawsuit was supported by a 2018 Associated Press investigation that publicly exposed the deceptive practice across billions of devices worldwide.

Google agreed to a $62 million settlement in 2023, with funds directed primarily to nonprofit organizations focused on privacy education and policy advocacy rather than direct payments to individual class members. The settlement also required Google to provide clearer, more prominent disclosures about its location data collection practices and to give users more accessible controls over their location settings. The case is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in consumer data-privacy litigation against Big Tech, prompting subsequent investigations by multiple state attorneys general and influencing the design of privacy dashboards across the industry.