Italy's competition watchdog announced on Thursday that it has initiated an investigation into Google and its parent company Alphabet due to suspected "unfair commercial practices" related to user data consent requests directed at consumers.
The AGCM competition authority stated in a press release that "The consent request that Google presents to its users for linking its services may be considered a misleading and aggressive commercial practice." They further explained that the information provided is often inadequate, incomplete, and misleading, potentially influencing users' decisions on whether and to what extent to grant consent.
Google requests user consent to aggregate and utilize personal data across various services, including its search engine, Maps, and YouTube. However, the consent request fails to clearly explain the actual impact of consent on how Google uses users' personal data, according to the watchdog.
Additionally, the watchdog accused Google of employing techniques and methods in requesting and obtaining consent that could restrict the average consumer's freedom of choice. A Google spokesperson stated that the company will review the case details and cooperate with the authority.
The Federconsumatori consumer rights group supported the watchdog's action against Google, urging consumers to be cautious when granting consent and to report any unclear or opaque practices. In 2021, the watchdog fined both Google and Apple 10 million euros for not providing sufficient information to users and using aggressive methods in commercial data usage.
The authority also fined Google over 100 million euros in May 2021 for abusing its market dominance by excluding a competitor's smartphone app for electric vehicle users.
