The Foundation for the Protection of Privacy Interests and the Consumers’ Association are taking the next step in their fight against Google. The tech company is being taken to court today for ‘large-scale privacy violations’.
The proceedings demand, among other things, that Google stop its constant surveillance and sharing of personal data through online advertising auctions and also pay damages to consumers. Since the announcement of this action on May 23, 2023, more than 82,000 Dutch people have already joined the mass claim.
According to the organizations, Google is acting in violation of Dutch and European privacy legislation. The tech giant collects users’ online behavior and location data on an immense scale through its services and products. Without providing enough information or having obtained permission. Google then shares that data, including highly sensitive personal data about health, ethnicity and political preference, for example, with hundreds of parties via its online advertising platform.
Google is constantly monitoring everyone. Even when using third-party cookies – which are invisible – Google continues to collect data through other people’s websites and apps, even when someone is not using its products or services. This enables Google to monitor almost the entire internet behavior of its users.
All these matters have been discussed with Google, to no avail.
The Foundation for the Protection of Privacy Interests represents the interests of users of Google’s products and services living in the Netherlands who have been harmed by privacy violations. The foundation is working together with the Consumers’ Association in the case against Google. Consumers’ Association Claimservice, a partnership between the Consumers’ Association and ConsumersClaim, processes the registrations of affiliated victims.
More than 82,000 consumers have already registered for the Google claim. They demand compensation of 750 euros per participant.
A lawsuit by the American government against Google starts today in the US . Ten weeks have been set aside for this. This mainly revolves around the power of Google’s search engine.
Essentially, Google is accused of entering into exclusive agreements to guarantee the use of its search engine. These are agreements that prevent alternative search engines from being pre-installed, or from Google’s search app being removed.
Source: Google voor de rechter gedaagd wegens ‘grootschalige privacyschendingen’ – Emerce (NL)
Robin Edgar
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