Australian regulator sues Google for using user data without their consent
The Australian Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (ACCC) is suing Google, accusing the company of expanding a program to use consumer personal data to serve advertising content without explicit consent from them.
The regulator accuses Google of using personal information from user accounts in combination with data on consumer behavior on websites not owned by the company to serve ads, despite the fact that no explicit consent has been obtained.
“ Information about user behavior on non-Google sites has been linked to their names and other credentials stored by Google. Previously, this information was stored separately from Google user accounts, which means that it was not associated with specific users, ”the ACCC said in a statement.
According to reports, from June 2016 to December 2018, a pop-up notification was shown to Google account holders explaining how the use of personal data will be expanded and asking them to agree to the new rules.
“ We have introduced some additional features for your account that give you more control over the data Google collects, how it is used, and at the same time allow Google to show you more relevant ads, ” the notice said. It also said that more information will be available in the user’s account, which will simplify the process of control over the data collected by Google, and the company itself will use it to increase the relevance of advertising on the Internet.
According to the Australian regulator, this notice is misleading consumers, because they cannot correctly understand exactly what changes are being made and how personal data will be used. “ We believe that many consumers if given an informed choice, can refuse Google’s permission to combine and use a wide range of their personal information so that the company can derive its own financial benefit from it,” said an ACCC spokesman.
Google’s updated privacy policy also states that Google ” will not limit your rights under this Privacy Policy without your explicit consent .” The ACCC believes that since Google has not obtained explicit consumer consent to make this privacy policy change, it is also misleading to say that consumers will not be restricted without their explicit consent. It is noted that the use of combined information has contributed to the fact that Google has significantly increased the cost of its advertising products to generate more profit.
