PARIS — France’s data protection watchdog has given US internet search group Google Inc three weeks to answer questions about its new privacy policy, as part of a Europe-wide investigation being led by the French regulator.
In a letter to Google CEO Larry Page dated March 16, the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique (CNIL) asked Google to explain what it will do with user data it collects, how long it will store it and whether it will be linked to the person’s real identity, as well as the legal justification for its approach.
The CNIL is leading an investigation on behalf of data protection regulators in Europe’s 27 member states, and it has already said it has “strong doubts” that Google’s new approach to privacy complies with European law.
Among the issues the CNIL raises is whether Google will track people using mapping or search on their smartphones, and whether the company will collect information stored on the phone such as contacts in the address book.
The regulator also seemed particularly concerned about Google’s plan to share the data it collects on users across its services, asking 21 out of 69 questions about such sharing and their legal basis.
Google said in January it was simplifying its privacy policy, consolidating 60 guidelines into a single one that will apply for all its services, including YouTube, Gmail and its social network Google+.
The US company also said it will pool data it collects on individual users across its services, allowing it to better tailor search results and improve service. — Reuters
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