Google Ad - Everything You Need to Know About the EU Google Probe

Source - mashable.co
By - Todd Wasserman
Category - Google Ad
Posted By - Imagination Print

 Google Ad

Google earned its reputation by providing the best possible answers to consumers' questions. So it's somewhat ironic that the company is under fire in Europe for some rather halfhearted answers to European Union officials' queries over its privacy policy.

The EU has been challenging Google on the issue since last year, but the latest twist came Tuesday as CNIL, a French watchdog group, issued a statement saying Google "did not give a precise answer" to questions from European data protection. As a result, the CNIL is leading a "working group" to provide recommendations for enforcement. Those recommendations should come by this summer.

Below we explore what this means for Google.

How did this come about?

After integrating Google search results with Google Plus, the company introduced a master privacy policy in January 2012. A month later, the CNIL decided to take a closer look. In October, the CNIL, working with privacy watchdogs from 26 other European countries, called on Google to offer stricter privacy policies. Google had three months to reply, but the answers were unacceptable to the EU.

What do they want Google to do?

In short, they want Google to offer more detailed info about how it uses consumers' personal data, disclose how long it keeps such data and make it easier for consumers to opt out of sharing their information with Google and the company's various units, including YouTube, for advertising purposes.

Did Google have a similar investigation in the U.S.?

Not quite. The Federal Trade Commission settled with Google for $22.5 million last August after the agency found Google had violated the privacy of users of Apple's Safari browser on the iPhone.

But wait, wasn't there another FTC probe of Google?

Yes, but the subject of that investigation was alleged antitrust violations, not privacy. Google settled that 19-month probe on Jan. 3. An EU investigation of Google on antitrust grounds, meanwhile, continues. The EU claims it will not be influenced by the FTC's settlement. That probe may be settled soon, according to reports.

What's the upshot for Google?

Unclear. Countries in Europe vary in their enforcement powers and fines. In France, for instance, fines max out at around $388,000 for repeated privacy violations rules violations.