Google Sued For Android Location-Tracking

Google has been hit with a potential class-action lawsuit stemming from reports last week that the company's Android operating system tracks the location of cell phone users.

"If Google wanted to track the whereabouts of each of its products' users, it should have obtained specific, particularized informed consent," Michigan residents and Julie Brown and Kayla Molaski allege in their complaint. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Michigan. The case marks the first legal action against Google relating to location-tracking. Apple is also facing at least two similar lawsuits. The litigation stems from revelations by security researchers that smartphones and other devices collect extensive data about their owners' whereabouts. iPhones and iPads store that information on a "consolidated.db" file contained in the devices. Androids also reportedly store location data in unencrypted files on devices. In addition, Androids reportedly send the information back to Google.