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Seven European consumer organizations on Tuesday seized national regulators by accusing Google of manipulating its users for "to spy"their movements in violation of the new rules on data protection (GDPR), announced the European Bureau of Consumer Unions (BEUC).
The complaint lodged in Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Sweden is based on a study by the Norwegian consumer organization which concludes that the American giant "uses misleading design and information that leads users to agree to be constantly monitored".
"Google processes extremely detailed and exhaustive personal data without proper legal basis, and the data is acquired through manipulation techniques"said Gro Mette Moen, an official with the Norwegian organization.
He is accused of tracking his users via the settings "Position History"and"Web activity and applications"integrated into all Google Accounts.
"Location data can reveal a lot about a person: his movements in real time, the places he frequents regularly, his daily routines, his interests, and so on.", notes the Norwegian organization in its complaint.
"Constant tracking of location and aggregation of location data over time can be used to draw very detailed portraits of individuals and to deduce their religious beliefs, political inclinations and sexual orientation among other things"she says.
Request for an investigation
The organization calls for the opening of an investigation, an injunction for Google to stop its practices "illegal"and a fine"dissuasive"against the group.
According to the Norwegian study, this permanent monitoring is particularly difficult to avoid with the Android operating system which, according to the Statcounter site, equips nearly 70% of mobiles (Samsung, Huawei) in Europe.
"The thirst for Google's data is well known, but the extent to which it misleads users to follow them and make money is scary", said BEUC Director Monique Goyens.The situation is more than alarming. Smartphones are used to spy on all movements. "
"This secret spinning must stop", also summed up the Dutch consumer association Consumentenbond.
Google responded by saying "constantly working to improve (his) controls".
"Location History is disabled by default and you can edit, delete, or pause it at any time. If enabled, it helps improve services such as traffic forecasts on your route", replied the Californian group.
"If you pause it, we clearly indicate – depending on your individual phone and settings – that we could always collect and use location data to improve your Google experience", he added.
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