France Gives Google Three Months to Address Privacy Concerns or Face Fines
France's National Commission for Computing and Civil Liberties (CNIL) has initiated proceedings against Google over privacy violations and has given the sultan of search three months to fix things or face fines. Should Google drag its feet, it faces a maximum fine of 150,000 euros (~$198,000), along with 300,000 euros (~$396,000) for a repeat offense. In addition, Google could face sanctions of up to 1 million euros (~$1.3 million) from other regulators.
The issue at hand is that Google "prevents individuals from knowing how their personal data may be used and from controlling such use," which is a violation of the French Data Protection Act, Bloomberg reports. The privacy watchdog is seeking transparency from Google as to why it collects user data, how it processes that data, how long the data is retained, and other details.
On the surface, Google is saying the right things and putting on the appearance that it intends to comply, though the fines amount to a drop in the bucket compared to what the search giant earns. Google's mobile ad revenue alone is estimated to be $8.85 billion this year, or $24 million per day.
The issue at hand is that Google "prevents individuals from knowing how their personal data may be used and from controlling such use," which is a violation of the French Data Protection Act, Bloomberg reports. The privacy watchdog is seeking transparency from Google as to why it collects user data, how it processes that data, how long the data is retained, and other details.
On the surface, Google is saying the right things and putting on the appearance that it intends to comply, though the fines amount to a drop in the bucket compared to what the search giant earns. Google's mobile ad revenue alone is estimated to be $8.85 billion this year, or $24 million per day.
