UFC-Que Choisir sues Google GDPR violations:UFC-Que Choisir association sues Google for violation of RGPD

"Even if the phone remains stationary, it will transmit its geolocation 340 times a day." Here is one of the arguments put forward by UFC-Que Choisir, which has decided to sue the Google giant for violation of the privacy of users. After trying to find an amicable agreement with the creator of the famous search engine, the consumer association launches a group action - bringing together 200 users - before the High Court (TGI) against the tech giant for violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ensures the association on its website.

UFC-Que Choisir claims 1,000 euros in compensation for each user. "We do not dispute the economic model of Google, but it must, like the others, comply with the law and very clearly ask consumers for permission to use their personal data, which is very far from the case ", explains Raphaël Bartolomé, head of the legal department of UFC-Que Choisir, quoted by Le Parisien. The French consumer association has scrutinized five different versions of the Google and Chrome contracts and said Google is "trying to lull the consumer to sleep".

UFC-Que Choisir sues Google GDPR violations

"The text on the rules of confidentiality is 5,700 words! And it includes 100 links and 54 references, all counted by bailiff. Who will read that?", Said the head of the legal department of UFC-Que Choisir. And to add: "to give its opinion on the use of its data, it is necessary to open a specific page where the boxes are already pre-ticked in favor of an acceptance.Google turns a vacuum cleaner to personal data without our knowledge." UFC-Que Choisir gives another striking example: a user has been geolocated a million times in five years.
A fine of 50 million euros from the CNIL for non-compliance with the RGPD

This is not the first time that the tech giant is accused of a lack of transparency and information about the use of consumer data. The National Commission for Computing and Liberties (CNIL) had imposed a fine of 50 million euros last January to Google for failing to comply with the European Data Protection Regulation (RGPD). The tech giant has appealed this decision.

The policeman of the French private life had justified the important amount of the fine because of the seriousness of two principal deficiencies: in terms of transparency and consent. "Essential information, such as the purpose for which the data is processed, the data retention period, or the categories of data used to personalize the advertisement, are excessively scattered throughout several documents, which include buttons and links that it is necessary to activate to learn additional information, "said the CNIL.

In August 2018, an Associated Press survey revealed that the Google giant was tracking the movements of Android smartphone users or iPhones via its Google Maps app, even if the "Location History" option is off, thanks to another option called "activities on the web and applications". An American user, Napoleon Patacsil, has filed a complaint against Google for breach of privacy.