According to a lawsuit filed Monday in the District of Columbia's Superior Court, Google falsely told customers that if they opted out of collection of their "Location History" or other settings, Google would not store the places they went.
In fact, the suit claims that Google continues to track people's movements using data from its search engine, Maps app, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth services.
"In reality, regardless of the settings they choose, consumers who use Google products have no choice but to allow the Company to collect, store, and use their location," according to the lawsuit. "To put it simply, even when a user's mobile device is configured to deny Google access to location data, the Company finds a way to determine the user's location."
It claims that reality contradicts Google's public statements about giving users control over what data the company collects.
A Google representative did not respond immediately.
Similar lawsuits were filed in Indiana and Texas on Monday, and Washington state intends to sue as well, according to the office of D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine.
The suit filed in Washington, D.C., seeks fines against Google as well as disgorgement of data obtained as a result of any illegal conduct and "any algorithms developed in using such data."
The suit cites internal company documents to back up its claims, including one in which a Google employee allegedly says that the user interface for Google Account Settings "feels like it is designed to make things possible, yet difficult enough that people won't figure it out."