Rome, July 13, 2024 – Italy’s competition watchdog, AGCM, announced on Thursday that it has initiated an investigation into Google and its parent company Alphabet over alleged “unfair commercial practices” related to user data consent requests.
According to the AGCM, the consent requests Google sends to users for linking services may constitute misleading and aggressive commercial practices.
The authority’s statement indicated that these requests often come with inadequate, incomplete, and misleading information, potentially influencing users’ decisions about whether and how much consent to grant.
“The request for consent that Google submits to its users to the linking of the services offered may constitute a misleading and aggressive commercial practice,” the AGCM said.
“Indeed, it appears to be accompanied by inadequate, incomplete and misleading information and it could influence the choice of whether and to what extent consent should be given.”
Google has yet to respond to a request for comment.
The US tech giant requests consent from users to aggregate and use their personal data across various services, including Google’s search engine, Maps service, and YouTube.
However, the watchdog criticized the consent request for lacking clear information on the real effect of user consent on Google’s use of personal data.
The AGCM also accused Google of employing techniques and methods in requesting and obtaining consent that could compromise the average consumer’s freedom of choice.
In 2021, the watchdog imposed a fine of 10 million euros ($10.9 million) on both Google and Apple for failing to provide sufficient information to users and using “aggressive methods” in handling their data for commercial purposes.
At that time, the authority stated that neither company provided “clear and immediate information” on how user data was obtained and used.
Additionally, in May 2021, Google was fined over 100 million euros ($109 million) by the AGCM for abusing its dominant market position by excluding a rival’s smartphone app for electric vehicle users.
The outcome of the current investigation could lead to further regulatory actions and potential penalties for Google and Alphabet.
