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EU-US-NORWAY-LITIGATION-COMPUTERS-INTERNET
Google accused of manipulation to track users
OSLO, Nov 27, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Seven European consumer groups filed
complaints against Google with national regulators Tuesday, accusing the
internet giant of covertly tracking users’ movements in violation of an EU
regulation on data protection.
The complaints cited a study by the Norwegian Consumer Council that
concluded the Internet giant used “deceptive design and misleading
information, which results in users accepting to be constantly tracked.”
Council official Gro Mette Moen charged that “Google uses extremely
detailed and comprehensive personal data without an appropriate judicial
basis, and the data is acquired by means of manipulative techniques.”
Complaints against Google were filed in the Czech Republic, Greece,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden.
They are based on the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR),
which took effect in May.
Google is accused of tracking users’ movements via its Location History
and Web & App Activity applications, which are built into all Google
accounts.
“For users of mobile phones with Android (operating systems), such as
Samsung and Huawei phones, this tracking is particularly difficult to avoid,”
the Norwegian council noted.
According to the internet site Statcounter, almost 70 percent of European
mobile phones run on the Android system.
“Location data can reveal a lot about a person: real time movements,
frequently visited places, daily routines, interests, etc,” the Norwegian
complaint said.
“Constant location tracking and aggregation of location data over time can
be used to build very detailed profiles of individuals and to infer religious
beliefs, political leanings, and sexual orientation, among other things,” it
added.
Monique Goyens, director general of The European Consumer Organisation
said: “Google’s data hunger is notorious but the scale with which it deceives
its users to track and monetise their every move is breathtaking.
“The situation is more than alarming. Smartphones are being used for spying
on our every move.”
The Dutch organisation Consumentenbond insisted that “this tracking must
stop.”
Google responded by saying that “Location History is turned off by default,
and you can edit, delete, or pause it at any time. If it’s on, it helps
improve services like predicted traffic on your commute.
“If you pause it, we make clear that — depending on your individual phone
and app settings — we might still collect and use location data to improve
your Google experience.”
BSS/AFP/RY/1728 hrs