Google is facing action from a coalition of ten European consumer organizations over its account sign-up process.
The European Consumer Organization (BEUC), which is coordinating the coalition, argues that the language used by Google when registering is “unclear, incomplete and misleading” and leads many consumers to choose options that are less privacy-friendly.
BEUC believes sign-up is the crucial point at which Google asks users to decide how their account should work. Google’s one step “express personalization” process leaves consumers with account settings that “feed Google’s surveillance activities.”
The process is even more complicated as Google fails to provide users with the option to turn all settings ‘off’ in one click.
“It takes one simple step to let Google monitor and exploit everything you do. If you want to benefit from privacy-friendly settings, you must navigate through a longer process and a mix of unclear and misleading options. In short, when you create a Google account, you are subjected to surveillance by design by default. Instead, privacy protection should be the default and easiest choice for consumers, “said Ursula Pachl, deputy director general of the BEUC.
The sources for this piece include an article in BBC.