Michigan among 40 states to reach historic settlement with Google

(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and 39 other attorney generals reached a $391.5 million multistate settlement with Google over its location tracking practices relating to Google Account settings.

According to Nessel's office, this is the largest multistate Attorney General privacy settlement in the history of the U.S. 

Michigan will receive nearly $12 million from the settlement.

"Google makes the majority of its revenue from using the personal data of those who search in its browsers and use its apps," Nessel said. "The company's online reach enables it to target consumers without the consumer's knowledge or permission. However, the transparency requirements of this settlement will ensure that Google not only makes users aware of how their location data is being used but also how to change their account settings if they wish to disable location-related account settings, delete the data collected, and set data retention limits. I have made it a priority to help consumers navigate online spaces while keeping their privacy intact, and I am glad Michigan will benefit from this historic settlement, which lets Google know that its obtuse privacy practices have gone unchecked for too long." 

The 40 attorney generals opened the Google investigation following a 2018 Associated Press article that revealed how Google "records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to." The article focused on two Google account settings: Location history and Web & App Activity. 

As detailed in the settlement, the attorney generals found that Google violated state consumer protection laws by misleading consumers about its location tracking practices since at least 2014. 

The settlement requires Google to be more transparent with its consumers about their practices by:

• Showing additional information to users whenever they turn a location-related account setting "on" or "off";  
• Making key information about location tracking visible for users
• Giving users detailed information about the types of location data Google collects and how it's used at an enhanced "Location Technologies" webpage.       

This settlement will also limit Google's use and storage of certain types of location information and require Google account controls to be more user-friendly.