On Wednesday 27 June, the Norwegian Consumers Council published a very critical study on the "tricks" employed by the Internet giants, particularly Facebook and Google, to obtain the consent of the users on personal data.
The core criticism focuses on the intrusive default settings that only provide “an illusion of control” and the “take it or leave it” choices consumers have. This study concludes that these tricks are used in the name of respecting the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) but are ultimately forcing users to accept options that are less respectful of their private lives.
Finn Myrstad, director of digital services in the Norwegian Consumer Council, explained, “These companies manipulate us into sharing information about ourselves. This shows a lack of respect for their users, and are circumventing the notion of giving consumers control of their personal data”.
Although several studies demonstrate that users rarely change the preselected settings, Facebook and Google have deliberately chosen to implement default settings that are less respectful of the private lives of their users. The report also demonstrates that the settings that provide more respect for users demand more “clicks” before being reached and are often concealed.
In a letter addressed that day to the President of the European Data Protection Board
(EDPB), Andrea Jelinek, the European Consumers Office (BEUC), Consumers International, Privacy International, ANEC and the Norwegian Consumers Council asked Ms Jelinek to examine the practices disclosed in this report and said that they do not believe that they comply with the GDPR.
These are not new concerns and have been the subject of a raft of complaints since the entry into force of the GDPR (see EUROPE 12029). To see the study please go to: https://bit.ly/2N1TRRC (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)