Google May Face Fine Under EU Privacy Laws

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Google May Face Fine Under EU Privacy Laws

Posted by samzenpus on Monday September 30, 2013 @01:35AM from the pay-up dept.

angry tapir writes "Google faces financial sanctions in France after failing to comply with an order to alter how it stores and shares user data to conform to the nation's privacy laws. The enforcement follows an analysis led by European data protection authorities of a new privacy policy that Google enacted in 2012. France's privacy watchdog, the Commission Nationale de L'Informatique et des Libertes, in June ordered Google to comply with French data protection laws within three months. But Google had not changed its policies to comply with French laws by a deadline last week."

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Now they're in trouble by cold+fjord · 2013-09-30 01:42 · Score: 2

Google is about to get rapporteured. C'est la vie.

--
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
1. Re:Now they're in trouble by pixelpusher220 · 2013-09-30 02:13 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  EU: We're going to fine you
  Google: Just a sec...
  Google: Hello NSA? uh, anything you can do here?
  NSA: We knew you'd be calling...
  
  --
  People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people :-D
2. Re:Now they're in trouble by gl4ss · 2013-09-30 09:38 · Score: 2
  
  every fucking time some company is fined somewhere some fucking jackass comes up with this "well don't do business there".
  well fuck, they want to do business there. that's why they translated their services. if they don't do business there then someone else does. altavista, yahoo or whoever.
  more importantly they want specifically to have local presence inside france. ..and are you suggesting they leave eu alltogether? stupid much? eu can live without google but google can't be global leader without eu. sure, they could limit themselves to just USA.. and end up on government subsidies.
  
  --
  world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Data Retention Directive by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-30 01:43 · Score: 5, Insightful

And would this be the same EU that has the data retention directive? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Retention_Directive
As bad as Google can get, it's a paragon of privacy compared to our Glorious Leaders.
Go, France! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-30 01:43 · Score: 2, Insightful

As this should be. No company should be allowed to store data on any person -- anywhere in the world -- without that persons' consent or knowledge. Time to take the big companies down a few notches.
1. Re:Go, France! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-30 01:58 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  No country has any authority to pass laws about a company which doesn't operate there. When a user in country A goes to a server in country B, the laws of country B are what matter. Just like when you travel to a country on vacation, it's THAT countries laws which apply, not the laws of the country you're coming from.
  So, what about google.fr?
2. Re:Go, France! by AGMW · 2013-09-30 02:13 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  When a user in country A goes to a server in country B, the laws of country B are what matter. Just like when you travel to a country on vacation, it's THAT countries laws which apply, not the laws of the country you're coming from.
  America can't have it both ways. They made online gambling illegal and then go after the companies offering online gambling from elsewhere. Dudes, it's not the online gambling that's the problem, it's your citizens being bad by ignoring your retarded online gambling laws!
  ... and now the French are giving you some of your own medicine. Reap what you have sown!
  
  --
  Eclectic beats from Leeds, UK
  handmadehands.co.uk
3. Re:Go, France! by Pope · 2013-09-30 04:28 · Score: 2
  
  No country has any authority to pass laws about a company which doesn't operate there
  Google Paris
  8 Rue de Londres
  75009 Paris
  France
  Ah, I see the problem. Google thought they were in England!
  
  --
  It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
4. Re:Go, France! by TheP4st · 2013-09-30 04:32 · Score: 2
  
  What about the fact that everyone using Google Already Consented?
  As in consented to a legalese riddled EULA that only a small minority understand and an even smaller group ever read, wherein Google reserve the right to change the conditions at any time, right? That people have consented in the legal meaning of the word doesn't mean that they ultimately know or understand how much of their privacy they have given away for the dubious benefit of becoming Google's product.
  
  --
  "I have downloaded hundreds and hundreds of records, why would I care if somebody downloads ours?" Robin Pecknold
5. Re:Go, France! by loufoque · 2013-09-30 10:42 · Score: 2
  
  You seem to live under the assumption that it is easy for a powerful armed force to coerce any country.
  Need I remind you that the US lost several wars in the past half century, Vietnam being the one most well known? And that was despite fighting uneducated people armed with sticks in the jungle or caves and using banned weapons or torture techniques.
  Now imagine attacking France, which has its own elite forces, fighter jets, submarines, intercontinental missiles and nuclear weapons. And that's just one country. There would be a lot to lose and very little to gain from warring with any European country.
A fine??! by fustakrakich · 2013-09-30 01:46 · Score: 2

Oh no!

--
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
chump change by schneidafunk · 2013-09-30 01:49 · Score: 4, Informative

FTA: " Google could be fined a maximum of €150,000 (US$202,562), or €300,000 for a second offense"

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Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
1. Re:chump change by lgw · 2013-09-30 04:28 · Score: 2
  
  I disagree - it could be a serious blow to Google. Google has nothing special, nothing competitors don't do well enough. No one has any loyalty to web services, the only way to keep your customers is to keep them from looking around. When the differences between services come down to subjective preferences (UI and whatnot), if your user base looks elsewhere, a significant percentage will discover they like another service better. At the scale of France, that's going to be a heck of a lot of people telling friends elsewhere "hey, try this other thing out, it's better".
  
  --
  Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
2. Re:chump change by TheP4st · 2013-09-30 04:46 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  This seems like a dig for France to extort money more than anything else.
  Are you actually serious and believe the 5th largest economy in the world spend more money in legal costs alone than they ever will recuperate from fines just so they can extort Google out of 150K? I normally refrain from insulting people but will make an exception in your case as you just displayed a level of intelligence that genuinely make me wonder how many chromosomes you are equipped with.
  
  --
  "I have downloaded hundreds and hundreds of records, why would I care if somebody downloads ours?" Robin Pecknold
Re:LOL by Chrisq · 2013-09-30 02:04 · Score: 4, Funny

So you're replying to comments not yet made? GOD I hope there won't be any fanboy replies.
I'm a fanboi of the French you insensitive clod
Tony Blair did that one by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-30 02:19 · Score: 3, Insightful

He pushed it through when UK had the EU Presidency.
It established the principle that you are innocent now, but maybe in future you're not, ergo we require companies to track you. Move forward nearly a decade and that data is handed to a foreign spy agency who data mines it, and trades it with other countries in exchange for more data.
Where's Tony Blair now? Well New York mostly, with his 30 pieces of silver.
Speaking of Google and Privacy by Richy_T · 2013-09-30 02:40 · Score: 2

Anyone know how to prevent Android Device Manager being able to access my location anytime it feels like it?
https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager
I'm on a Droid Razr Maxx.
Re:France have the 3-strikes-you're-out-policy by TheSkepticalOptimist · 2013-09-30 03:00 · Score: 2

yes, I agree, the French would run out on the 3rd strike.

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I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.