Google Is Accused Of Tracking Users' Locations Even When Location Services Are Disabled

The privacy options are hidden by Google deep in the settings to make it difficult for users to find.

According to Business Insider, an unverified document in the lawsuit between the state of Arizona (USA) against Google shows that this company has been making it difficult for users to protect their privacy.

Specifically, the documents claim that Google continues to collect location data even when users have turned off location sharing, and makes it difficult for users to find privacy settings. Insider also reported that the documents show that Google pressured phone manufacturers to hide the privacy setting, as it is quite common among users.

According to AP, even if a user has turned off Location History and doesn't allow apps to track location data, Google will still know the user's location. This location data will not be recorded in the history of the Google Maps application but is only used by Google. Users can disable Google's location tracking by turning off another option, called Web & App Activity.

Earlier in May last year, Attorney General Mark Brnovich of the state of Arizona (USA) filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of illegally tracking location without consent. comments from Android users. The documents indicate that Google still allows background tasks to be launched for location tracking, and only stops these processes altogether when the user disables system-level tracking. ).

Google spokesman José Castañeda responded to The Verge's email, saying Google's services are being misrepresented in nature: "Brnovich and Google's competitors are trying to advance the lawsuit. and misrepresenting our services.At Google, we always work collaboratively to integrate privacy into our products and provide robust controls for location data. wish to be able to correct these misunderstandings."

Currently, Google has not confirmed any additional information.