Search giant Google agreed to a $93 million settlement with the state of California on Thursday over its location-privacy practices.
The settlement follows a $391.5 million settlement with 40 states, reached in November 2022, to resolve an investigation into how the company tracked users' locations.
The states' investigation was sparked by a 2018 Associated Press story, which found that Google continued to track people's location data even after they opted out of such tracking by disabling a feature the company called "location history."
"Our investigation revealed that Google was telling its users one thing — that it would no longer track their location once they opted out — but doing the opposite and continuing to track its users' movements for its own commercial gain. That's unacceptable, and we're holding Google accountable with today's settlement," Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.
As part of the settlement, in which Google admitted no wrongdoing, the company also agreed to a number of restrictions, including providing more transparency about location tracking, disclosing to users that their location information may be used for ad personalization, and showing additional information to users when enabling location-related account settings.
"Consistent with improvements we've made in recent years, we have settled this matter, which was based on outdated product policies that we changed years ago," Google said in a statement.
Art Directors Club of Europe sets finalists for ADCE Awards 2024
The Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE) has announced the finalists for the 33rd ADCE Awards, highlighting top creative talent from 22 countries.
An international jury gathered in Barcelona on October 29 and 30 to evaluate the best work of this year in European design and advertising, ultimately selecting the 2024 finalists entries.
Winners of the Gold Awards, along with Special Awards and the Grand Prix, will be unveiled at the ADCE Awards Gala Ceremony on November 22 during the ADCE Festival, while Silver, Bronze, and Shortlisted entries will be published immediately following the Gala on the ADCE website.
A total of 370 entries across 22 European countries have been selected as finalists. Final distinctions will include Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners, as well as special recognitions like the following:
European Star – honoring projects that reflect core European values such as democracy, freedom, justice, and peace.
Genius Loci – celebrating work that captures the spirit of specific places within Europe’s cultural heritage.
Green Star – recognizing projects that advance the circular economy, sustainability, or environmental protection.
Equal Star – rewarding creativity that challenges discrimination and stereotypes, promoting inclusivity.
This year’s ADCE Awards continue to celebrate the creativity, innovation, and values that characterize Europe’s artistic landscape.
The leading countries contributing to this selection include Germany with 108 finalist entries, Spain with 48, Austria with 33, Portugal with 30, Italy with 23, Switzerland with 21 and the U.K. with 20.
The finalists for the ADCE Awards 2024 can be accessed