142
submitted 1 year ago by ijeff@lemdro.id to c/android@lemdro.id

cross-posted from google@lemdro.id

  • Google will pay $93M to settle a privacy lawsuit in California for violating consumer protection laws.
  • The company was found to have engaged in deceptive practices related to collecting Android users' location data without proper consent.
  • Users believed disabling "Location History" would stop tracking, but another setting, "Web & App Activity," remained enabled.
  • As part of the settlement, Google will improve user-friendly account controls and be more transparent about data collection practices.
  • This follows similar lawsuits and fines against Google for privacy violations in other jurisdictions.
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] tal@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

That ratio doesn't matter.

What matters is the value derived from some prohibited activity relative to the fine/lawsuits resulting from that activity.

Let's say that Company A sells oranges, and uses some pesticide that isn't approved, and gets a fine for it.

Let's say that Company B sells apples, and improperly claimed that the apples were fresher than they were to grocery stores and is sued for that.

Let's say that Company A and Company B merge and form Company C. The value of Company C would be larger, but it would make no sense for either of the above two disincentives to be larger. Being part of Company C doesn't make engaging in bad behavior more-desirable than it does for when A and B were separate, and so the disincentives one establishes for bad behavior shouldn't grow either.

[-] piecat@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Let's say company C pooled their resources to pay for lawyers that could reduce the penalty to a profitable level, but A and B couldn't individually.

[-] spwyll@lemdro.id 2 points 1 year ago

The ratio does matter. The fine is supposed to be a punishment/disincentive, but when that disincentive is less than trivial it no longer disincentivizes. Like a crime punishable by a $250 fine--the working class will follow the law because that's three days' but the rich won't care because it's a glass of wine at a decent restaurant. Google will simply pay the fine with no reason or intent to stop the questionable behavior because they'll just pay the trivial fine again when they get caught--just like they've been doing for years...

this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2023
142 points (96.1% liked)

Android

17660 readers
207 users here now

The new home of /r/Android on Lemmy and the Fediverse!

Android news, reviews, tips, and discussions about rooting, tutorials, and apps.

🔗Universal Link: !android@lemdro.id


💡Content Philosophy:

Content which benefits the community (news, rumours, and discussions) is generally allowed and is valued over content which benefits only the individual (technical questions, help buying/selling, rants, self-promotion, etc.) which will be removed if it's in violation of the rules.


Support, technical, or app related questions belong in: !askandroid@lemdro.id

For fresh communities, lemmy apps, and instance updates: !lemdroid@lemdro.id

💬Matrix Chat

💬Telegram channels / chats

📰Our communities below


Rules

  1. Stay on topic: All posts should be related to the Android OS or ecosystem.

  2. No support questions, recommendation requests, rants, or bug reports: Posts must benefit the community rather than the individual. Please post to !askandroid@lemdro.id.

  3. Describe images/videos, no memes: Please include a text description when sharing images or videos. Post memes to !androidmemes@lemdro.id.

  4. No self-promotion spam: Active community members can post their apps if they answer any questions in the comments. Please do not post links to your own website, YouTube, blog content, or communities.

  5. No reposts or rehosted content: Share only the original source of an article, unless it's not available in English or requires logging in (like Twitter). Avoid reposting the same topic from other sources.

  6. No editorializing titles: You can add the author or website's name if helpful, but keep article titles unchanged.

  7. No piracy or unverified APKs: Do not share links or direct people to pirated content or unverified APKs, which may contain malicious code.

  8. No unauthorized polls, bots, or giveaways: Do not create polls, use bots, or organize giveaways without first contacting mods for approval.

  9. No offensive or low-effort content: Don't post offensive or unhelpful content. Keep it civil and friendly!

  10. No affiliate links: Posting affiliate links is not allowed.

Quick Links

Our Communities

Lemmy App List

Chat and More


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS