Six European countries against Google: in first position is France, which has already launched its battle for some time, and then Holland, Spain, Germany, some English organizations and now also Italy. The goal is the same for everyone: to get the Mountain View giant to change the privacy rules, which Californians had put their hand to a few months ago.
According to the European guarantors who coordinate the maneuver, Google has failed to openly declare how much and what data it acquires on its users, and for how long it keeps them. Last year, Google unified 60 policy procedures into one global document. The company has 95% of the search engine market in Europe, and according to some privacy experts, the ability to capture, combine and analyze user data is a key asset in the Mountain View portfolio.
"Google cannot collect and process the personal data of European citizens without taking into account the fact that precise rules are in force in the European Union to protect the fundamental rights of EU citizens", explains the President of the Italian Authority for the protection of personal data, Antonello Soro. “The joint action of the European Supervisors aims to reaffirm this principle and ensure that these rights are guaranteed. The Italian Guarantor - he continues - has long been engaged on the international front precisely to work so that the privacy of European citizens is respected, not only by EU companies, but also by the big names on the Internet and by all companies operating in the sector. of electronic communications, wherever they are established. We want to prevent free zones in matters of fundamental rights".
Google's answer is in the lines of one of its spokespersons: “Our privacy policy complies with European law and allows us to create simpler and more effective services. We have been in constant contact with the various privacy authorities involved in the course of this affair and will continue to be in the future".
