Attorney General Skrmetti announced Monday that Tennessee, along with 39 other attorneys general, 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 United States. Tennessee will receive $14,560,086.13 from the settlement.
Location data is a key part of Google’s digital advertising business. Google uses the personal and behavioral data it collects to build detailed user profiles and target ads on behalf of its advertising customers. 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. 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.