Advertisement

US state sues Google over location data

Arizona's lawsuit against Google claims the US tech giant used deceptive and unfair practices to obtain user location data, which the company denies.

Arizona's lawsuit against Google claims the US tech giant used deceptive and unfair practices to obtain user location data, which the company denies. Photo: Getty

Arizona has filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against Google, over allegations the US tech giant illegally tracked Android users’ location without their consent and even when the location tracking features had been manually disabled.

“Google collects detailed information about its users, including their physical locations, to target users for advertising. Often, this is done without the users’ consent or knowledge,” Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a tweet on Wednesday.

The suit comes as technology companies have been facing regulatory scrutiny globally over their policies and data monitoring practices.

“The Attorney-General and the contingency fee lawyers filing this lawsuit appear to have mischaracterised our services. We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data”, a Google spokesman said in an emailed statement.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and argues that the maker of the Android smartphone operating system had set its mobile software such that it deceived device owners about the protections afforded to their personal data.

“When consumers try to opt out of Google’s collection of location data, the company is continuing to find misleading ways to obtain information and use it for profit,” Mr Brnovich said in an interview with The Washington Post.

In February, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas sued Google, alleging that its educational software collects young students’ personal information without the required parental consent.

The world’s top search engine sells its Chromebook laptops to schools around the world alongside its free or low-cost G Suite for Education software package, which includes email and writing tools.

-with agencies

Topics: Google
Advertisement
Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter.
Copyright © 2025 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.