Indiana reaches $20 million settlement in Google privacy lawsuit

Google is resolving Indiana's privacy lawsuit alleging the technology giant participated in deceptive location tracking by agreeing to pay a $20 million settlement, state Attorney General Todd Rokita announced.

"This settlement is another manifestation of our steadfast commitment to protect Hoosiers from Big Tech’s intrusive schemes," Rokita (R) said Thursday. "We will continue holding these companies accountable for their improper manipulation of consumers."

Forty states initially filed a lawsuit against Google after a 2018 probe found the platform carried out controversial location-tracking practices, but when negotiations stalled, Indiana filed a separate lawsuit. The states settled for $391.5 million in November.

Because Indiana filed a separate lawsuit, the state received approximately twice as much as the other 40 states, the attorney general said. 

Indiana argued in its case that Google used consumer data to build user profiles and targeted ads. "Google has deceived and misled users about its practices since at least 2014," the state said.

Rokita said he has pursued litigation against the tech giant because even a small amount of location data can reveal an individual's identity and personal activities.

Google did not admit to wrongdoing in the settlement with Indiana, The Associated Press reported.

"Over the past few years, we’ve introduced more transparency and tools to help you manage your data and minimize the data we collect," the technology platform said Friday.