Communications of the ACM
Arizona Sues Google Over Allegations It Illegally Tracked Android Smartphone Users' Locations
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has filed suit against Google for allegedly monitoring the locations of Android smartphone users even when such features purportedly were disabled.
Credit: Matt Rourke/AP
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed a lawsuit against Google claiming the search engine giant monitored the locations of Android smartphone users even when such features purportedly were disabled, in violation of the state's consumer protection laws.
The suit contends Google’s mobile software is designed to benefit its targeted advertising business, and deceives phone owners about privacy safeguards.
Android smartphones generally allow users to deactivate location tracking, but the complaint alleges that certain applications—like mapping and weather—continue to record location records and searches, even when turned off. Blocking this requires disabling another, hard-to-find setting, and the suit described the maze of menus users must navigate as deceptive.
Google’s Jose Castaneda said the suit mischaracterizes the firm's services, and that the company has "always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data."
From The Washington Post
View Full Article - May Require Paid Subscription
Abstracts Copyright © 2020 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA
No entries found