14 DAY TRIAL // Google is violating Dutch data protection laws, the authorities said. It seems that the company’s custom of combining personal data from its many different online services goes against Dutch laws.
Following a seven-month investigation of the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA), the local privacy watchdog, Google was called up for a meeting where the issues will be discussed. Depending on how the talks go, there will be a decision taken regarding the fate of Google in the Netherlands, Reuters reports.
“Our privacy policy respects European law and allows us to create simpler, more effective services. We have engaged fully with the Dutch DPA throughout this process and will continue to do so going forward,” Google said in a statement in response to the authorities’ decision.
This isn’t the first time a European nation expresses concern about how much local data can be stored in foreign jurisdiction in the cloud storage service, which gives little control to users over the personal information they share.
Add the global concerns over data stored in the United States following the Snowden revelations and Google’s case doesn’t look too good.
“Google spins an invisible web of our personal data, without consent. That is forbidden by law,” said Jacob Kohnstamm, chairman of the Dutch Data Protection Authority.
“Google does not properly inform users which personal data the company collects and combines, and for what purposes,” the DPA said.
As mentioned, the company has had issues all across Europe for its data collection practices. Back in March last year, the company set up a new terms of service for the cloud tools it offers. The changes were pushed on to all users, which annoyed a lot of people and triggered investigations in six countries across Europe.
While the fines they faced from these nations are unlikely to hurt the company in any way, since they are fairly modest, Google’s image is still at risk.