The Dutch privacy watchdog (CBP) has published the results of a long term research on Google. The conclusion is: Google’s privacy policy violates Dutch privacy law on a number of important sections, states the digital rights movement Bits of Freedom.
Google collects the personal data of internet users from several Google services, without informing the users properly in advance and without asking permission to do so. From the research it becomes clear that Google insufficiently indicates which personal data it collects and connects and that it cannot give the purpose of these actions.
Google's new privacy policy was implemented on 1 March 2012. Based on that policy, Google connects data from its services and combines that with data stemming from visits to other websites that use Google Analytics (by the way: this website does not use Google Analytics).
Before the implementation of the new privacy policy, the CBP already warned Google that it conclicted with the law. Google did not acted upon that warning. As of that date several European countries have started investigations; France earlier came to a similar conclusion that Google's policy does not comply with the law.
(Source: BOF/Emerce - the complete story is available in Dutch)
