Google will pay Arizona $85 million to illegally track Android users

Google will pay Arizona $85 million to settle a lawsuit in 2020 that claimed the search giant was illegally tracking Android users, Bloomberg reports. At the time, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich claimed that Google continued to track users for targeted advertising, even after turning off location data settings. If that sounds familiar, that's because Google is also being sued by attorneys general in Texas, Washington, D.C., and Indiana over similar data tracking complaints. Brnovich's office also notes that the $85 million settlement is the highest amount Google has paid per user in a lawsuit such as this.

But given Google's current quarterly revenue is over $69 billion, the penalty may seem like a drop in the bucket. That's nothing compared to the $1.7 billion fine imposed on Google by the EU for abusive advertising practices. In a statement, Google spokesman José Castañeda said the lawsuit relates to older product policies that have been changed. "We provide simple controls and automatic deletion options for location data, and we always work to minimize the data we collect," he said. "We are delighted to have this issue resolved and will continue to focus our attention on providing useful products to our users."

Brnovich, meanwhile, says he's "proud of this landmark settlement that proves that no entity, not even big tech companies, is above the law."

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