South Dakota receives $4.2 million in historic Google settlement

South Dakota Attorney General Mark Vargo says South Dakota and 39 other states have reached a $391 million settlement with Google over its location tracking practices. South Dakota will receive $4.2 million.

It’s the largest multistate privacy settlement in the history of the U.S.

Google uses the personal and behavioral data it collects to build detailed user profiles and target ads on behalf of its advertisers. That includes location data.

The investigation of Google began following a 2018 Associated Press article that revealed the company records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to. It was found that Google had violated consumer protection laws by misleading people about its location tracking practices since at least 2014.

The settlement also requires Google to be more transparent with consumers about its practices.

November 16, 2022