Spain fines on Google $1.2 Million for breaking data law

Google Inc. was fined 900,000 euros ($1.2 million) by Spain’s data-protection watchdog for illegally collecting and using users’ personal data.

The AEPD verified that Google does not give users enough information about what data they collect and for what purposes uses them, that Google combines those data gathered through various services, keeps them for an indefinite time and makes difficult the exercise of the rights of the citizens.

Google is guilty of “three serious violations” of Spanish data-privacy law for collecting personal information across nearly 100 services and products in Spain without in many cases giving details “about what data it collects, what it uses it for and without obtaining a valid consent,” the regulator said in a statement today.

Last month, the Dutch Data Protection Authority also said Google was in breach of the national data privacy law for the same practices while France moved closer to fining the US internet company in September.

Investigations are taking place in at least three other European countries.

The probes were triggered after Google in March 2012 unilaterally imposed new terms of service on users of all its cloud services, which include the YouTube video streaming site, the Gmail service, and the ubiquitous Google search engine.

That decision triggered privacy investigations in six European countries, including Spain.

"Inspections have shown that Google compiles personal information through close to one hundred services and products it offers in Spain, without providing in many cases the adequate information about the data that is being gathered, why it is gathered and without obtaining the consent of the owners," said the Spanish Agency for Data Protection in a statement.

Google said it had engaged with the Spanish authorities to explain its privacy policy and would decide on which action to take once it had the opportunity to fully read its report.