French watchdog has fined Google 50 million pounds over its lack of transparency about consent to collect and use personal data under the new GDPR provisions. It's great to see official assessments that expose the sheer amount of data being collected, but which also point out the difficulty that any user might have in understanding the extent of Google's data processing and how this might affect the individual. The French authority, CNIL, is clear that under the GDPR consent is not valid since users are not privy to the specifics and detail of what they are agreeing to. It claims that 'users are not sufficiently informed'. If adults are unaware of the extent to which Google and other global players are collecting personal data, not only of themselves but their children, then how can they be expected to mediate children's privacy protections? Read more...
