Google Faces 'Repressive Action' In Europe Over Its Master Files Of User Data
The French National Commission for Computing and Civil Liberties (CNIL) said Google would be called to appear "in the coming weeks" and could face "repressive action" if it fails to give "precise and effective" responses the group's recommendations.
The web giant introduced a new privacy policy last March that gave it power to merge data from it various websites to create a master profile of each individual’s interests, to help target advertising.
In October European regulators, led by France’s CNIL and including Britain's Information Commissioner, gave Google four months reverse the changes or face legal action.
Earlier this month the CNIL said Google had not responded and said the group would be forced to take "repressive action" if the company did not comply.
Google believes that its privacy changes were made in accordance with European law. A Google spokesman said: "Our privacy policy respects European law and allows us to create simpler, more effective services. We have engaged fully with the CNIL throughout this process and will continue to do so going forward."
Google said it had answered the European group's recommendations in January, listing changes it had made to its privacy protection and asking for a meeting to discuss the case.
The Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, can impose fines of up to £500,000 and recently hit Sony with a £250,000 penalty for a major security breach that allowed hackers to access millions of PlayStation gamers’ personal details.
The privacy confrontation is a secondary front in Google’s war with European officialdom. EU competition authorities are separately looking at whether it abuses its dominance of the general web search market to disadvantage competitors and promote its own specialist services, such as shopping comparison.
