Penalty Amount
$17,000,000
New Jersey joined a multi-state settlement with Google alleging that Google circumvented Safari browser's default privacy settings to plant third-party cookies without user consent. Google agreed to pay $17 million and implement injunctive relief to prevent such conduct and improve transparency.
Google must pay $17 million to the states, refrain from overriding browser privacy settings without consent, avoid misrepresenting cookie management options, and provide clearer information about cookies to consumers.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements with advertising platforms (e.g., DoubleClick-like services) and customer-facing terms of service or privacy policies. Key clauses to examine include data sharing provisions, consent mechanisms for tracking (especially browser-based opt-outs), representations regarding compliance with browser privacy settings, and audit rights. Changes may be needed to explicitly prohibit circumvention of user browser preferences, mandate clear and functional opt-out tools, require transparency reports on cookie deployment, and incorporate indemnification for violations of third-party platform policies (like Safari's defaults). Data processing addendums with advertising partners should also be updated to reflect these restrictions.
Entity
Industry
Technology"Today's settlement with Google"
"pay the participating states a total of $17 million"
"circumvent the default privacy settings without the consumer’s knowledge or consent"
"Date: 2013-11-18"
$700.0M
Antitrust enforcement action where Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield secured a $700 million settlement from Google for anticompetitive practices in the Google Play Store. The settlement will provide automatic payouts to consumers who made purchases between August 2016 and September 2023, and requires Google to change its practices to stop the anticompetitive conduct. The settlement is pending court approval as of April 30, 2026.
$1.4B
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a $1.375 billion settlement with Google for unlawfully tracking Texans' geolocation data, incognito browsing activity, and biometric identifiers without consent. This is the largest single-state privacy settlement against Google, significantly larger than multistate settlements. The agreement resolves two major privacy enforcement actions brought by Texas.
$1.4B
Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Google for unlawfully tracking and collecting Texans' private data, including geolocation, incognito searches, and biometric data. The case resulted in a $1.375 billion settlement, the largest ever against Google for state privacy enforcement, marking a major win for data privacy rights.
$93.0M
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a $93 million settlement with Google resolving allegations that the company violated state consumer protection laws through deceptive location-privacy practices. Google was accused of falsely telling users that turning off the “Location History” setting would stop location data collection, while continuing to collect and use location data for user profiling and targeted advertising without informed consent. In addition to the monetary penalty, Google must implement several injunctive measures to increase transparency and user control over location tracking.
$391.5M
Google settled with 40 state attorneys general over allegations that it misled consumers about location tracking practices. Google will pay $391.5 million and must enhance transparency and user controls for location data collection.
$391.5M
Connecticut and 39 other states secured a $391.5 million settlement with Google for misleading consumers about location tracking and continuing to collect data after users opted out. The settlement mandates Google to enhance transparency and user controls for location settings, including clear disclosures and user-friendly account controls.