Google is once again in the crosshairs for its privacy (or lack thereof), with the DC Attorney General suing it over “Dark Pattern” practices.
Dark Patterns are deceptive practices some websites and apps use to trick users into buying things or taking actions they otherwise wouldn’t, or didn’t mean to. The website DarkPatterns.org is dedicated to shaming companies that engage in this type of behavior.
Google is now facing accusation from the DC Attorney General Karl A. Racine that it is using such Dark Patterns to get its customers to compromise their privacy.
To gain access to user location data, Google manipulates its users through deceptive design choices that alter user decision-making in ways that harm the user and benefit Google. These practices are known as “dark patterns.” Google has made extensive use of dark patterns—such as repeated nudging, misleading pressure tactics, and evasive and deceptive descriptions of features and settings—to stop users from protecting their privacy and cause them to provide more and more data inadvertently or out of frustration.
AG Racine also accuses the company of making it impossible for customers to truly opt out of location tracking, deceiving customers about how much control they have over their privacy, and misleading customers about how much changing device settings really protects their privacy.
AG Racine is leading a coordinated, bipartisan effort to take Google to task for these actions, with the Indiana, Texas, and Washington AGs also filing lawsuits against Google in their states.
“Google falsely led consumers to believe that changing their account and device settings would allow customers to protect their privacy and control what personal data the company could access,” said AG Racine. “The truth is that contrary to Google’s representations it continues to systematically surveil customers and profit from customer data. Googles bold misrepresentations are a clear violation of consumers’ privacy. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan group of attorneys general that will hold Google accountable for its deception. Through this lawsuit, we will hold Google accountable, and in the process, educate consumers on how their personal data—particularly sensitive data about their physical location—is collected, stored, and monetized. This result of our collective action is that consumers, not Google, will determine how their data is or is not used.”
