Blumenthal Statement on State AGs Suing Google Over Consumer Location Data Practices

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement after the Attorneys General for the District of Columbia, Texas, Washington, and Indiana announced they will be filing lawsuits against Google alleging the company deceived consumers regarding their location data privacy:

“The stunning allegations in this bipartisan suit by four attorneys general show, yet again, that tech companies continue to mislead, deceive, and prioritize profits over protecting user privacy. I’ve long raised alarm over Google’s location data deceptions and Big Tech’s lies must stop. Congress must urgently meet this moment in the privacy crisis by passing a comprehensive law that provides the privacy protections that Americans need and deserve.”

Blumenthal has long called for strengthened enforcement and investigations regarding Google’s location data practices. In 2017, Blumenthal, along with U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai demanding answers after an investigation by technology publication Quartz revealed Google collects Android users’ location data – even when location services are disabled. The text of that letter can be found here. In 2018, Blumenthal and Markey sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), calling on the agency to investigate Google’s collection of sensitive location data and the potential deceptive acts and practices used by the company to track and commoditize consumers. The text of that letter can be found here.

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