LINCOLN- Nebraska is set to receive $12 million as part of a $391.5 million settlement with Google over its misleading tracking policies.

Forty states, led by the attorneys general of Nebraska and Oregon, sued Google, claiming that customers were not fully aware of Google tracking their location even when turning off the "Location History" function.

The settlement is the largest ever involving multi-state attorneys general, claimed Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson.

Location data is used by Google and its advertisers to customize ad pitches to Google users, but even a limited amount of location data can expose a person's identity and routines, says the Nebraska AG's office.

The investigation was launched in 2018 after the Associated Press reported that the giant internet search engine "records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to."

According to documents released from the investigation, Google had been misleading users since at least 2014, and has continued to violate several consumer protection laws.

The settlement, besides the large payout, also requires Google to be more transparent with its users. Google must now show additional information when users turn on or off a location service, make key information about tracking policies easily identifiable, and give users detailed information about the types of location data collected.

The settlement will also limit Google's use and storage of certain location information and require Google account to be more user friendly.

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