On Thursday, 10 European consumer groups filed new privacy complaints against Google, claiming that Google is using deceptive design, unclear language & misleading choices when consumers sign up for a Google account to encourage more extensive & invasive data processing.
Contrary to its claims, the tech giant is thwarting consumers who want to better protect their privacy, said consumer groups under the coordination of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC).
They are now taking action on suspected breaches of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
They said that Google is unfairly steering consumers towards its surveillance system when they sign up to a Google account, instead of giving them privacy by design & by default as required by the GDPR.
Ursula Pachl, Deputy Director-General of the BEUC said, "Contrary to what Google claims about protecting consumers' privacy, tens of millions of Europeans have been placed on a fast track to surveillance when they signed up to a Google account".
In a statement, Pachl said that "It takes one simple step to let Google monitor & exploit everything you do. If you want to benefit from privacy-friendly settings, you must navigate through a longer process & a mix of unclear & misleading options".
In short, when you create a Google account, you are subjected to surveillance by design & by default.
The BEUC noted that "Instead, privacy protection should be the default & easiest choice for consumers".
A consumer can choose to create a Google account voluntarily or be obliged to create one when they use certain Google products & services.
For example, they must create an account when they buy a smartphone that uses Google's Android system, which almost seven in 10 phones worldwide (69 per cent) depend on, if they want to download apps from the Google Play store.
The consumer rights groups said that with only one step (Express personalisation), the consumer activates all the account settings that feed Google's surveillance activities.
Google does not provide consumers with the option to turn all settings 'off' in one click.
If consumers want to activate the more privacy-friendly options, this requires "Manual personalisation" -- five steps with 10 clicks & grappling with information that is unclear, incomplete, & misleading, the consumer groups alleged.
They argued, "Regardless of the path the consumer chooses, Google's data processing is un-transparent & unfair, with consumers' personal data being used for purposes which are vague & far reaching".
Google was yet to react to the privacy complaint.
Pachl said that "Google is a repeat offender. It is more than three years since we filed complaints against Google's location-tracking practices & the Irish Data Protection Commissioner in charge has still not issued a decision on the case".
She added that "This case is of strategic importance for which cooperation among data protection authorities across the EU must be prioritised & supported by the European Data Protection Board".
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