I'm abusing Google

Consumer organizations in seven European countries – including Greece – have asked national regulatory authorities to take action against Google, which they claim has breached the new EU data protection regulation ( GDPR). , following the movements of several million users via their mobile phone and other devices, and knowing their geographical position each time.

Consumer organizations in the Netherlands, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, Norway and Slovenia accuse Google of "fraudulent practices" forcing users to activate their tracking, but without clearly informing them of this that means in terms of personal data.

"Consumers are unaware of the use of their personal data," said the seven consumer organizations, accusing Google of using "this data for various purposes, including targeted advertising."

They also point out that online monitoring of a person's movements can reveal various information about his lifestyle and his beliefs, such as his religious and political activities (places of worship that he visits, political organizations, events, etc.), health. (frequent visits to hospitals and specific doctors, for example on the treatment of cancer), badual preferences (eg regular visits to the bar), etc.

All member organizations of the BEUC umbrella organization for the benefit of consumers in Brussels will file a complaint with the authorities of the GPDR of each country. The original initiative was taken by the Norwegian organization Forbrukerradet, while German and Danish organizations intend to do the same thing in their own countries.

For its part, Google replied that tracking is actually disabled on devices. It is up to the user to activate it or not and stop it at any time.

However, according to consumer organizations, "these practices are inconsistent with the GDPR, Google does not establish a solid legal basis for processing such data" and having no "legitimate interest" in doing so.

Google's "thirst" for data is notorious, but it's really scary to scam its users to track and profit from their own traffic – Google does not respect the basic principles of GDPR, such as the obligation to use the data in a legal, fair and transparent way, "said Monik Goyen, CEO of the European Consumers Organization.

"With the GDPR, users should be able to control their personal data.Google's deception practices violate both the spirit and the letter of the regulation.We need a determined and consistent application of the rules. We can not have companies that claim to comply, but bypbad the law de facto.The situation is more than worrying.The smart cell phones are used to spy on every move.This is not the digital society in which the European consumers want to live, "he added.

The Android operating system of Google is used in about two billion devices in the world. Most users often turn to their convenience (for example, find a restaurant near them), but they do not know at the same time what they can reveal about their personal habits and their personality (and who) .

Consumer organizations recall that, according to the new regulation on the control of personal data by users, heavy fines (up to 4% of their turnover) are foreseen for companies that violate the code.