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Google's new privacy policy under fire from EU investigators

Google's new privacy policy under fire from EU investigators

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The EU and France's National Commission for Computing and Civil Liberties (CNIL) have requested that Google delay the launch of its new privacy policy. There are concerns over whether the new policy breaks European Union privacy laws.

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CNIL
CNIL

The French government has requested that Google delay the launch of its new privacy policy just two days before it's scheduled to take effect. After being selected to head the European Union's investigation into the legality of the new privacy policy, France's National Commission for Computing and Civil Liberties (CNIL) has sent an open letter to Google CEO Larry Page outlining the EU's concerns. In it, the CNIL wrote that the new policy "does not meet the requirements of the European Directive on Data Protection, especially regarding the information provided to data subjects." The French authority is particularly concerned with two points: Google's lack of transparency when it comes to what information is being collected and why, and the application of a non-specific privacy policy to dozens of different services. The CNIL also noted that, contrary to what Google has claimed, European agencies were given little warning about the impending changes. It plans to send a questionnaire to Google before mid-March in order to gain some clarity on the matter.

Google's global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer responded in a letter to the CNIL later in the day. Fleischer stated that Google had tried to meet with the French authority, but was unsuccessful. However, he noted that the new privacy policy "respects all European data protection laws and principles."

The back-and-forth with the EU comes at the tail end of a month that has seen Google face significant backlash over its new privacy rules, including scrutiny from some US attorneys general. But even in the face of international pressure, it looks like the new privacy policy will roll out as planned on March 1st.