- Google is using deceptive design, unclear language and misleading choices when consumers sign up to a Google account to encourage more extensive and invasive data processing.
- Contrary to its claims, the tech giant is thwarting consumers who want to better protect their privacy.
- Consumer groups are taking action on suspected breaches of the GDPR.
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Credit: BEUC
Tech giant Google is unfairly steering consumers towards its surveillance system when they sign up to a Google account, instead of giving them privacy by design and by default as required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
As a result, ten consumer groups, under the coordination of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), are taking action to ensure that Google complies with the law:
- dTest (Czech Republic), Forbrukerrådet (Norway), EKPIZO and KEPKA (Greece), UFC-Que Choisir (France) and ZPS (Slovenia) have filed GDPR complaints with their data protection authorities.
- Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband – vzbv (Germany) has sent a warning letter to Google, a first step before potentially filing a civil lawsuit.
- Consumentenbond (Netherlands), Forbrugerrådet Tænk (Denmark) and Sveriges Konsumenter (Sweden) have written to their national authorities to alert them about Google’s practices.
- US consumer groups from the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) network are also sending a letter today to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) denouncing Google’s practices.