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Attorney General Josh Kaul announced on November 14, 2022, that Wisconsin, along with 39 other attorneys generals, has reached a $391.5 million multistate settlement with Google over its location tracking practices relating to Google Account settings. This is the largest multistate Attorney General privacy settlement in the history of the U.S. Wisconsin will receive $8,421,918.67 from the settlement.

Location data is a key part of Google’s digital advertising business. Google uses the personal an Location data is among the most sensitive and valuable personal information Google collects. Even a limited amount of location data can expose a person’s identity and routines and can be used to infer personal details.

The settlement requires Google to be more transparent with consumers about its practices. Google must: Show additional information to users whenever they turn a location-related account setting “on” or “off”; Make key information about location tracking unavoidable for users (i.e., not hidden); and Give users detailed information about the types of location data Google collects and how it’s used at an enhanced “Location Technologies” webpage.

The settlement also limits Google’s use and storage of certain types of location information and requires Google account controls to be more user-friendly.

The attorneys general of Oregon and Nebraska led the settlement negotiations, assisted by Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. The final settlement was also joined by Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

You can view the agreement at https://www.doj.state.wi.us/sites/default/files/news-media/11.14.22_Google_AVC.pdf.