Italy’s competition and consumer watchdog has launched an investigation into Google’s methods for obtaining user consent to link activity across its various services for ad profiling, suspecting the tech giant of “unfair commercial practices.”
The focus is on how Google secures consent from users in the European Union to link their activities across platforms such as Google Search, YouTube, Chrome, and Maps. This linking allows Google to profile users for targeted advertising, which is a significant revenue source for the company.
In response to the Italian AGCM’s probe, a Google spokesperson told TechCrunch, “We will analyze the details of this case and will work cooperatively with the Authority.”
Since March, Google has been subject to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which applies across the European Union, including Italy. The DMA requires gatekeepers like Google, Meta, X, Amazon, ByteDance, and Microsoft to obtain explicit consent before processing users’ personal data for advertising or combining data across services. The AGCM’s investigation seems focused on this requirement.
The AGCM stated that Google’s request for consent might be a “misleading and aggressive commercial practice.” It noted that the information provided by Google appears inadequate, incomplete, and could influence users’ decisions regarding consent.
Content was cut in order to protect the source.Please visit the source for the rest of the article.
This article has been indexed from CySecurity News – Latest Information Security and Hacking Incidents
Read the original article: