Australian Regulator Files Lawsuit Against Google on Location Data Use

   By Rachel Pannett

SYDNEY--Australia's competition watchdog filed a lawsuit against Google on Tuesday, alleging the internet giant misled customers about how it was collecting and retaining location data.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said that from January 2017 until late 2018, Google didn't properly disclose to consumers that they had to switch off two Google account settings if they didn't want the company to collect their personal information.

"We are taking court action against Google because we allege that as a result of these on-screen representations, Google has collected, kept and used highly sensitive and valuable personal information about consumers' location without them making an informed choice," ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in a statement.

The ACCC also alleges that from around mid-2018 until late 2018, Google further misled customers by saying that the only way they could prevent Google from collecting, keeping and using their location data was to stop using certain Google services, including Google Search and Google Maps.

The ACCC is seeking penalties, declarations and orders requiring the publication of corrective notices and the establishment of a compliance program from Google.

Write to Rachel Pannett at rachel.pannett@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 28, 2019 23:35 ET (03:35 GMT)

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