By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Alphabet’s Google was hit with a criticism by Austrian advocacy group NOYB on Thursday for allegedly monitoring customers of its Chrome Internet browser, a problem already on EU antitrust regulators’ radar.
The U.S. tech big is phasing out using third-party cookies that advertisers use to trace shoppers to be able to shield client privateness.
It has launched a set of instruments referred to as the Privateness Sandbox to dam covert monitoring methods and restrict knowledge sharing with third events whereas builders and publishers can measure advertisements with out monitoring particular person customers.
Chrome customers are requested whether or not they need to activate the advert privateness characteristic or to not stop being tracked.
NOYB (none of your small business) mentioned the characteristic permits Google to trace customers inside the browser, and that the corporate ought to first search customers’ consent as required below European Union privateness guidelines.
“Individuals thought they had been agreeing to a privateness characteristic, however had been tricked into accepting Google’s first-party advert monitoring. Consent needs to be knowledgeable, clear and honest to be authorized. Google has achieved the precise reverse,” NOYB founder Max Schrems mentioned in assertion.
The group on Thursday filed a criticism with the Austrian knowledge safety authority.
NOYB has filed scores of complaints with EU and nationwide privateness watchdogs towards huge tech corporations for alleged privateness infringements.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Enhancing by Mark Potter)