Google ‘violates’ German rules

Google is having another run-in with European regulators over the protection of personal data.

This time, the operator of the biggest internet search engine is violating German rules by compiling customers’ data without asking for their consent, according to Johannes Caspar, who heads the data protection office for the German state of Hamburg. The agency plans to order Google to change its data-handling practices in the coming weeks, he said.

“By compiling data from its different services under a single user ID, Google has access to a personal profile of its users,” Mr Caspar said, adding Google could face fines if it doesn’t change its practices. “Google has to respect its users’ right of self-determination.”