Google Privacy Breach

Google the internet search giant in recent times has faced a lot opposition including many legal cases due to its privacy breach. Informed by unraveling the reasons behind these many controversies, court battles and huge fines paid, my study seeks to unravel the reasons behind them. This will be attained by answering a number of questions, firstly, does Google when inform users when collecting their personal data? Secondly, does Google inform users when placing user terminals, advertisement cookies? Thirdly, has Google placed a timeline to the holding of personal data?

First, Google’s privacy plan fails to correctly notify the clients of the gathering of their private data and its intentions. Google combined into a solitary document the confidentiality policies applicable to over 60 services and products. Concerning the “reasons” of the data gathering, Google’s policy offers general reasons for instance, improving the performance the user services, without additional clarification or details. This is just too vague to tell users, principally given the diversity of services presented by Google and the diverse kinds of data collected (Telegraph 3).

Secondly, Google ought to inform users and acquire their consent prior to inserting advertising cookies on the user terminals. Obtaining approval for cookies never requires opt-in permission from the user; rather the user should be properly informed ahead of the cookies terminal placement, their functions and ways to reject them. Google utilizes the data composed for its individual activity purposes which results to numerous illegally obtained advertisement profits (Proskauer 2).

Thirdly, Google has never defined the period during which it hangs on to the data gathered and has not employed any automatic data deleting processes. For instance, no information is accessible as to the period during which data is preserved once an legitimate user has disregarded its account.

Works Cited

Proskauer. “The French Data Protection Authority Fines Google for Breach of French Privacy Laws | Privacy Law Blog.” Privacy Law Blog | Privacy & Data Security Lawyers | Proskauer Rose Law Firm. N.p., 2014. Web. 9 Aug. 2014. <http://privacylaw.proskauer.com/2014/01/articles/online-privacy/the-french-data-protection-authority-fines-google-for-breach-of-french-privacy-laws/>.

Telegraph. “Google pays $17 million compensation over privacy breach – Telegraph.” Telegraph.co.uk. N.p., 2011. Web. 9 Aug. 2014. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/10459347/Google-pays-17-million-compensation-over-privacy-breach.html>.