Name: Google Found Guilty of Misleading Australian Customers on Data Collection
Uploaded: 2025-01-03T18:33:38.000Z
Description: The Australian Federal Court has <a href="https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2021/2021fca0367">found Google guilty</a> of misleading customers about personal location data collection on android mobile devices in a world-first enforcement action by the country's consumer watchdog.

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

NTD Plus

News

News with integrity, from the United States and around the world. Focused reports and analyses that shed light on major issues the world deserves to know. NTD Evening News airs daily at 6 p.m. ET.

NTD Evening News

California Is ‘Compounding of Bad Election Laws’: Think Tank Director

Jack Bradley is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Jack previously anchored "NTD Newsroom" and worked as an assistant producer for the show. 

Jack Bradley

Pentagon Flags Major Chinese Firms as Military-Linked

David Lam is a national correspondent based in California and a part-time anchor for "NTD Tonight." Before joining NTD he was a financial analyst.

David Lam

Apple 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference Underway

Jason Blair is a national correspondent for NTD News based in California. 

Jason Blair

House Report Says Minnesota Officials Knew of Fraud but Failed to Act

Sean Marshall is a reporter based at NTD's global headquarters in New York City, primarily covering business and technology trends. 

Sean Marshall

New York Announces ‘Largest Watch Party’ for 50,000 People in Central Park for FIFA World Cup Final

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

LEGO Unveils Massive Sagrada Família Set

Senate Candidate Graham Platner Facing Fresh Controversy

New York Ramps up Security for Trump's Knicks Game Visit

Up to 900 Planes Grounded Worldwide Amid Engine Shortage, United CEO Says

Jacki Thrapp is an Emmy® Award-winning journalist based in Nashville. She previously worked at The New York Post, Fox News Channel and has written a series of Off-Broadway musicals in NYC. Contact her at jacki.thrapp@epochtimes.us

Jacki Thrapp

World News

Middle East

Israel-Iran Conflict

Iran Launches First Missiles at Israel Since Ceasefire Agreement

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 8)

Chris Beers is an NTD News anchor and political correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Chris co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Chris Beers

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 7)

Arleen Richards is NTD's legal correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers all major legal stories. Arleen holds a Doctor of Law (J.D.).


Arleen Richards

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 6)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 5)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 4)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 3)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 2)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 1)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 31)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 29)

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

US News

State News

California

More Than 17,000 Under Evacuation Orders as Southern California Wildfire Threatens Homes

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

Andrew Thomas is a reporter for NTD News primarily covering business, the economy, and technology. 

Andrew Thomas

Science &amp; Tech

NASA Reverses Evacuation Alert Order for Astronauts Aboard Space Station

Rudy Blalock is a Southern California-based daily news reporter for NTD. Originally from Michigan, he moved to California in 2017 and the sunshine and ocean have kept him here since. In his free time, he may be found underwater scuba diving, on top of a mountain hiking or snowboarding, or at home meditating—which helps fuel his active lifestyle.

Rudy Blalock

40,000 Ordered to Evacuate as Chemical Tank Leaks, Threatens Explosion in California

Video of US Fighter Jet Shooting Down UFO Over Lake Huron Emerges in New Pentagon Files

Ohio

At Least 12 People Shot at Ohio Festival, Search for Suspects Ongoing: Police

Mary Man is a writer for NTD. She has traveled around the world covering China, international news, and arts and culture.

Mary Man

Daniel Monaghan is a reporter for NTD News covering culture, social issues, and education. He holds a BA in Political Science and Government.

Daniel Monaghan

China News

Epoch Times Obtains Over 2,000 Unseen Tiananmen Square Photos on 37th Anniversary of the June 4th Massacre

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

US Embassy in Israel Issues Travel Alert for Much of Middle East

US Government Sues Chick-fil-A Over Religious Rights

Sports News

Kyle Busch, Two-Time NASCAR Champion, Dies at 41

The Australian Federal Court has <a href="https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2021/2021fca0367">found Google guilty</a> of misleading customers about personal location data collection on android mobile devices in a world-first enforcement action by the country's consumer watchdog.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been pursuing legal action against Google's "misleading conduct" since Oct. 2019.

“This is an important victory for consumers, especially anyone concerned about their privacy online, as the Court’s decision sends a strong message to Google and others that big businesses must not mislead their customers,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/google-misled-consumers-about-the-collection-and-use-of-location-data">said</a>.

“Today’s decision is an important step to make sure digital platforms are upfront with consumers about what is happening with their data and what they can do to protect it,” Sims said.

The ACCC <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/google-allegedly-misled-consumers-on-collection-and-use-of-location-data">claimed</a> Google breached Australian consumer law from at least Jan. 2017 when it gave users the false impression of opting out of location data collection when the 'location history' setting was turned off.

Google, the court found, did not properly disclose to customers that both the 'location history' and 'web & app activity' settings had to be switched off if customers did not want their personal data collected, kept, and used by the tech giant.

A man uses the new Google Pixel 4 smartphone during a Google launch event on Oct. 15, 2019, in New York City. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Federal court judge Justice Thomas Thawley concluded that Google's conduct "would not have misled all reasonable users." But would have likely misled some reasonable users, he said.

"The number or proportion of reasonable users who were misled, or were likely to have been misled, does not matter for the purposes of establishing contraventions," Thawley said in the judgement.

The ACCC chairman said he was "absolutely delighted" with the positive court outcome and noted it was the "first ruling of its type in the world" concerning location data issues.

“Companies that collect information must explain their settings clearly and transparently, so consumers are not misled," Sims said. "Consumers should not be kept in the dark when it comes to the collection of their personal location data.”

However, Google said the court had rejected many claims made by the ACCC and that it disagreed with the final ruling. The company also declared it was looking into the possibility of appealing the case.

“We disagree with the remaining findings and are currently reviewing our options, including a possible appeal,” a Google spokesman <a href="https://apnews.com/article/australia-canberra-court-decisions-courts-laws-c6a7b75ac7cbfabc6ff2bc4069e3911c">said</a>.

The Australia Institute's think-tank Center for Responsible Technology (CRT) said the case highlighted the "complexity of Big Tech terms and conditions."

“The reality is most people have little to no idea on how much of their data is being used by Google and online platforms,” CRT director Peter Lewis <a href="https://twitter.com/CntrResponsTech/status/1382886860804943875">said</a>. “Australia Institute research shows that you need a university education and that it takes an average of 74 minutes to read most terms and conditions.

“It is hardly surprising that people end up in this strange world between accepting terms and not understanding them," Lewis.

Rob Nicholls, an associate professor at the University of New South Wales, told The Epoch Times that the ruling was a major decision that would impact the approach to "click-through" agreements on a global basis.

However, he said it would not affect Google's current business model.

"It was interesting that the judgment took the view that the conduct was only partially misleading," Nicholls said. "This is likely to be important in [Google's] appeal process."

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/world-first-ruling-finds-google-guilty-of-misleading-australian-customers-on-data-collection_3778516.html">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Videos

Google

Australia

Business News

04_Top Stories

data collection

Latest Clips

International

Rebecca Zhu is based in Sydney. She focuses on Australian and New Zealand national affairs.

Rebecca Zhu

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.