Australia finds Google misled customers over data
Google has come under fire again in Australia-
this time for misleading some consumers about personal location data collected through Android mobile devices.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission , the ACCC, said it is seeking declarations and penalties from Google, though it did not specify an amount.
The case revolves around specific Google settings related to its location data collection, location history and 'web & app activity'.
Australia's federal court found that Google wrongly claimed it could only collect information from the location history setting on user devices between January 2017 and December 2018.
ACCC Chair Rod Sims said the ruling is the first of its type in the world in relation to location data issues.
"Tech companies, particularly those providing services for free, are in the business, the business they're in is to collect as much data from you as possible. Therefore, there's always that incentive to not perhaps be upfront with you in terms of what data they are collecting in case you object to it, and they therefore have less data, and they therefore make less money."
"This is very pervasive technology and we just want to make sure that the price you are paying, which is your data, is in fact a price you're comfortable to pay.''
A Google spokesman said that while the court had rejected many of ACCC's claims, the company disagreed with the remaining findings and was reviewing its options, including a possible appeal.
