Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google is facing a probe regarding its location tracking from its EU regulator on concerns that the tracking might be violating privacy rules. This comes almost a year following complaints from various consumer rights groups across the EU.
Google faces probe ion location processing
The Irish Data Protection Commission, which is the regulator, indicated that it had received several complaints across Europe regarding the company’s processing of location data. In a statement, the regulator pointed out that the issues raised in the complaint are associated with the legality of the company processing location data as well as the transparency around the processing of the data.
Following the complaints, the DPC has started a statutory inquiry on the matter, according to section 110 of the Data Protection 2018. This is also in accordance with the collaboration mechanism stated under article 60 of the GDPR. The probe seeks to establish if the company has a valid legal ground to process location data of consumers and whether that is within the set obligations regarding transparency.
The complaints about deceptive location processing were file in 2018, according to BEUC, which is the umbrella group for consumer rights groups in the EU. This was months after the GDPR became effective in May 2018.
A statement from Google indicated that users should understand who the company uses location data to offer them services. The company indicated that it will cooperate with DPC on the issue.
More tech companies face probe from the regulator
However, Google is not the only company facing a probe from the DPC. The regulator is also probing Match Group Inc. regarding its processing of personal data of users in its dating app Tinder. Similarly, there are 20 separate probes by the authority into big tech companies such as Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB).
For instance, there is an advanced probe regarding transparency of sharing data between WhatsApp and Facebook with its wider group of companies. Irish Privacy Chief Helen Dixon stated that there is also another probe into Twitter.
