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If you have an Android smartphone, perhaps you have enabled Google's geolocation feature to take advantage of certain services related to your location. But do you know exactly what the Wen giant is doing with this data? It's easy: Sign in to your Google Account and see Google Maps in your history. You may be surprised to find on a map, the complete route of your movements and your positions, with a formidable hourly precision, and this, over several days, weeks or months… Clear, if you've turned on location history, Google knows where you are, and when. And keep everything in memory, obviously …
It is precisely against this tracking that seven European consumer associations are rising today., in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Greece, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. This is a study done by a Norwegian association that set fire to the powders by pointing out that Google used "manipulation techniques" to encourage users of Android devices to enable tracking and location features through location history and web and app activity.
According to the European Bureau of Consumer Unions (BEUC), which federate the seven associations, these features allow Google to collect a lot of private information on its users: their movements in time, real, of course, but also, the places they frequent, and, by aggregation and data analysis, their interests and habits. What to draw up very detailed "portraits" including, by deduction, religious beliefs, political inclinations or sexual orientation, among many other things. In short, Big Brother who would not say his name. But, above all, and that is what motivates the accusations of associations, a practice that goes completely against the General Regulation on Data Protection, the famous RGPD, entered into force on May 25, to protect the private information of European users.
Google defends itself by arguing that these tracking features are disabled by default – which is true – and that any user can set them or erase the data collected at any time, via his personal account – which is also true. the company further states that these functions, which are clearly explained, are intended primarily to improve the "user experience", by providing personalized services and localized information – on the road traffic, for example. Nevertheless: for consumer associations, the process is misleading and many users agree to be tracked permanently without real awareness. Not to mention the fact that disabling tracking and location features does not prevent Google from knowing where to save location smartphones, so users.
For now, the associations call for the opening of a survey of regulators. But it is quite possible that their action will lead to complaints and lawsuits. Which would result in a withdrawal or changes to these follow-up functions as well as a fine. A case to follow closely, especially as it touches closely on privacy many of us …
Illustration: © CCM-Google
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