“Google” paid a fine of nearly 400 million dollars

Internet giant Google, which is owned by the parent company Alphabet, will have to pay a fine of 391.5 million dollars for illegally tracking the location of users in 40 American states, DPA reported. The agency cited a statement from the office of New York Attorney General Leticia James.

“The investigation found that Alphabet failed to notify users that location tracking services were automatically turned on for user activity related to apps and Internet usage,” James said in a statement.

The main point of the allegation was the company’s practice of telling users they could turn off location tracking in their Location History settings, but failing to let them know that in their Web & App Activity settings, too. collect data about their location.

“The tech company also needs to reform its practices to be more transparent with consumers,” James added.

Google has been quietly tracking its users for profit, and now we’re seeing the result in court. Each person should be able to make their own decisions about their data and how it is used. We will continue to hold companies that break the law accountable and protect consumers from companies that put profits before people’s interests,” the New York attorney general said.

Google uses the customer data it collects to create detailed profiles and target ads on behalf of its advertising customers. Location data can reveal a great deal about a person’s identity and habits and can be used to profile them, DPA reports.