Google Successfully Slowed Down and Delayed Europe's ePrivacy Regulation Process, According to the Lawsuit

Sophie Webster, Tech Times22 October 2021, 04:10 pm

Google has successfully slowed down European privacy rules, according to the lawsuit.

The search giant stated in an internal document that it has successfully delayed the European privacy rules together with other tech companies. The legal filing was released on Oct. 22.

Google Delayed Europe's Privacy Rules

Before Google's meeting with other tech companies in 2019, the search giant mentioned that it had been successful in delaying and slowing Europe's ePrivacy regulation process.

Google also revealed that it worked hand-in-hand with other tech companies.

The new details were presented in an unchanged version of the lawsuit that was filed by Texas and 11 other states in the United States, which argued that Google had abused its power over complex technology that delivers online ads to its users.

News organizations, includingThe New York Times,asked the court judge in the case to remove the corrections from the complaint.

Also Read:Google Tests Security Options to Phase Out Cookies Used to Get User Info for Target Ads

The details showed a rare look at how massive tech companies have lobbied against numerous regulations.

In the past few years, lawmakers worldwide have proposed new laws to limit tech companies' market power, limit their use of consumer data, and set new rules to moderate all user-generated content.

A spokesman for Google said in a statement that just because Attorney General Ken Paxton from Texas "says something, it is not true." The spokesman added that they are clear about their support for consistent privacy regulations around the world.

The lawsuit cited a document written from an August 2019 meeting between five tech companies, including Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft, according toTech Investor News.

According to the complaint, Google was trying to circumvent privacy rules in the US Federal Trade Commission and Congressional law. European regulations have been the subject of numerous challenging negotiations for years.

The company also expressed concerns about the actions of other tech companies connected to privacy debates.

Earlier this year,Google has restricted ads from targeting users under 18 years old for their safety and security.

Google stated that Facebook had issues aligning on their privacy goals and strategy and that the platform had prioritized victory over reputation over its commercial interest in the legislative debate.

According to the lawsuit, Google was also concerned that Microsoft was toppling it over its privacy issues. In a document presented during the meeting, the company pointed out that a top Google executive, Kent Walker, had stated that Google should seek alignment with Microsoft. They would want to get as much intelligence as possible.

Europe Push Against Ads

Lawmakers in Europe are working on banning ads, and they are working on adding them to a new set of Internet rules. The rules were proposed last year but are now entering their last stretch of negotiations, according toTechCrunch.

IfEurope's privacy rule is passed, it could have implications for tech giants like Google and Facebook, affecting internet users.

The move came after a series of concerns raised in the past few years pointed out how some ads use personal data to decide who sees which marking message.

It can negatively impact people and businesses, and some are considered discriminatory and predatory as it targets vulnerable people and groups.