Google Maps, operated by Google LLC under parent Alphabet Inc., is governed by Google's unified Privacy Policy rather than an app-specific policy, and its data practices are shaped by the broader Google account ecosystem, including Location History (Timeline) and Web & App Activity settings that the company discloses can retain precise device location. Google's own developer documentation shows that Maps-related SDKs collect device identifiers and location data, and Google's sharing disclosures permit certain partners to collect data via cookies for advertising and measurement. Google/Alphabet's location-tracking practices were the subject of a 2022 multistate attorney general settlement, described by regulators as the largest state-led privacy settlement in U.S. history, over allegedly misleading disclosures about how location tracking could be limited.
TRACK RECORD
2 ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
[2022-11-14]
The multistate investigation into Google's location-tracking practices found that, between 2014 and 2020, Google caused users to be confused about the scope of the Location History setting and the existence of the separate Web & App Activity setting that also collected location information.
On November 14, 2022, Google agreed to pay $391.5 million to settle a multistate investigation by 40 state attorneys general into location-tracking practices, described by New Jersey's Attorney General as the largest multistate privacy settlement with state attorneys general in U.S. history.
Google's Privacy Policy discloses that when a user enables Google's Location services, the device sends Google information about its location, sensors such as the accelerometer, and nearby cell towers and Wi-Fi access points (including MAC address and signal strength).
Google's location-technologies documentation states that if a user turns on Timeline, the user's precise device location is regularly saved for every eligible mobile device where the user is signed in, including when Google apps are not in use.
Google Maps is operated by Google LLC, which, along with other units such as Fitbit, Waymo, and Mandiant, is disclosed as remaining a wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. as of 2025.
Alphabet Inc.'s publicly disclosed share structure gives Class B shares, held mainly by founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and a small number of senior executives, ten votes each versus one vote for publicly traded Class A shares, per Alphabet's SEC filings.
Google's Privacy Policy discloses that it allows specific partners to collect information from a user's browser or device for advertising and measurement purposes using the partners' own cookies or similar technologies.
The multistate investigation into Google's location-tracking practices found that, between 2014 and 2020, Google caused users to be confused about the scope of the Location History setting and the existence of the separate Web & App Activity setting that also collected location information.
News coverage of the 2022 settlement reports that the states' investigation into Google's location-tracking practices was prompted by a 2018 Associated Press story finding that Google continued to track users' location data even after they disabled the 'Location History' feature.
On November 14, 2022, Google agreed to pay $391.5 million to settle a multistate investigation by 40 state attorneys general into location-tracking practices, described by New Jersey's Attorney General as the largest multistate privacy settlement with state attorneys general in U.S. history.
Google's own developer documentation for the Maps SDK for Android — the underlying technology used to embed Google Maps functionality — discloses that the SDK automatically collects device metadata, crash metrics, IP address, and a unique identifier to improve Google services.