Australian regulator files privacy suit against Google alleging location data misuse

A sign is pictured outs a Google office near the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, U.S. [Reuters]

An Australian regulator has filed a lawsuit against Alphabet Inc’s Google, accusing it of misleading smartphone users about how it collected and used personal location data, advancing a global crackdown on the world’s biggest tech firms.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said the local Google unit did not tell users of its Android operating system for almost two years that they needed to switch off two settings - not one - if they did not want the company to keep their information.