Google to pay $85 million to Arizona for illegal tracking of Android users

Google will pay Arizona $85 million in damages in a 2020 lawsuit alleging the company illegally tracked Android users for targeted ads.

According to the agency, in May 2020, the state of Arizona accused Google of violating a state law protecting consumers from fraud. The company collected location data through other settings after users turned off a feature that records the geolocation history of devices.

Google argued in its defense that the state’s consumer protection law requires the alleged fraud to be in connection with a sale or advertisement. However, an Arizona judge denied the company’s request to drop the case, the agency said in a statement.

The settlement came as Google faced similar complaints from the Attorney Generals of Texas, Indiana and Washington over user location data.