A major technology company reached a settlement with California authorities over allegations of covert user surveillance and agreed to an overall payment of 93 million dollars. The Guardian reports this outcome as part of ongoing scrutiny of how big tech handles user data.
The legal action was brought by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The complaint centers on claims that the company continued to track users even after they turned off the Location History setting in their Google accounts. Investigators say the data collection occurred not through direct GPS access, but by analyzing patterns of users’ online activity across websites and apps, enabling precise location profiling without explicit permission.
Under the settlement, the company did not admit fault but has committed to a series of changes aimed at greater transparency. Notably, it will provide clearer notices to users about when geographic data may be used for ad targeting before those ads are shown, and it will adjust how such data is described in user interfaces and help menus.
This case is part of a broader pattern familiar to U.S. regulators. The Guardian notes that California and other states previously sanctioned the same entity for similar privacy concerns, with a separate 2022 settlement totaling a substantial payout after investigations into how location data was accessed and used across multiple platforms. The episode reflects ongoing executive-level privacy debates in the technology sector and adds to a growing body of enforcement actions focusing on consent, disclosure, and user control over personal information.
There has also been commentary about other large technology firms facing questions about safety and disclosure. In a unrelated industry note, a separate report around a different product line mentions internal discussions about risk signals associated with devices sold to consumers. Analysts emphasize the importance of clear communication, user choice, and robust safeguards in all digital ecosystems to maintain trust and comply with evolving regulatory expectations.