Google violating Dutch privacy laws

A privacy watchdog in the Netherlands said Thursday that Google violates Dutch data protection law by combining personal data from its different online services, Reuters reports.

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The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) said Google doesn’t properly inform users about personal data it collects and combines.

The watchdog said it will meet with Google to discuss its concerns, after which it would decide whether to take any action against the cloud services, internet search and advertising giant, which could include fines.

In response to the authority's findings, Google said its “privacy policy respects European law and allows us to create simpler, more effective services.”

The internet company also said it provided users of its services with sufficiently specific information about the way it processed their personal data.

"We have engaged fully with the Dutch DPA throughout this process and will continue to do so going forward," Google said in a statement.

According to DPA Chairman Jacob Kohnstamm, Google “spins an invisible web of our personal data, without consent. That is forbidden by law."