Six European privacy regulators launch investigations of Google's privacy policy
Six European data protection authorities will conduct formal investigations of Google's privacy policy after the company repeatedly rejected their requests that it reverse changes it made to the policy last March, they announced Tuesday.
Data protection authorities in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the U.K. have resolved to conduct investigations or inspections of Google's privacy policy, following an initial investigation by the French data protection authority. The precise nature of the actions will depend on how the European Data Protection Directive has been transposed in their respective national laws.
In Germany, Hamburg's Commissioner for Data Privacy and Freedom of Information said it will review the way in which Google processes users' data. Although Google seeks their consent, it is impossible for users to foresee the scope of this consent, Commissioner Johannes Caspar warned in a news release. Analyses compiled by CNIL raise questions about the legality of Google's processing of personal data, Caspar said.
