About seven months ago, a Dutch privacy agency found that Google is violating a data protection law. Recently, however, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (an official government agency) has taken up the case, and begun the official investigation into the matter. They believe that Google is violating Dutch law by bringing personal data from a variety of different Google sites and services into one central location for use in advertising and other things.
They have sent Google a request to meet with them to discuss their concerns. Google claims that they provide Dutch users with sufficient information about what data is collected, how it is used, and the option to opt out so that they are in compliance with the privacy laws. The chairman of the Dutch Data Protection Authority said, “Google does not properly inform users which personal data the company collects and combines, and for what purposes.”
The Dutch government is just the latest in a series of investigations into Google that are ongoing in the European Union. The six nations which are performing investigations into the search giant’s privacy policies are the Netherlands, France, Spain, Germany, Britain and Italy.
The Dutch case is still in its earliest stages, but they appear to be taking it quite seriously. As of this writing, Google has not confirmed whether or not they will be meeting with the Dutch privacy agency.
Full information about the case from the Dutch Data Protection Authority can be seen HERE.
