GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) has been causing issues between US-based companies and the EU since the ruleset had taken effect in 2018. GDPR dictates companies to protect the gathered personal data legally and under strict conditions and protect it from misuse and exploitation. Respecting the rights of the data owners is a must.
Does Google Analytics break the GDPR rules?
The US companies, like Google, are having some problems with those rules. Google was fined €50 million in 2019 because the company was not transparent enough while processing personal data for targeted advertisements. And last week, an Austrian website that uses Google Analytics was declared as breaking the GDPR rule.
As the last incident happened, the software giant has called on American and European lawmakers to establish new rules for a secure data transfer network via a blog post written by Kent Walker, President of Global Affairs and Chief Legal Officer at Google. Walker asks for more transparency between US and EU for the GDPR rules since he thinks the decisions are inconsistent.
Kent Walker, President of Global Affairs and Chief Legal Officer at Google said:
« In 15 years of offering Analytics services, Google has never received the type of demand…speculated about. A durable framework -one that provides stability for companies offering valuable services in Europe- will help everyone, at a critical moment for our economies. A new framework will bolster the transatlantic relationship, ensure the stability of transatlantic commerce, help businesses of all sizes to participate in the global digital economy, and avoid potentially serious disruptions of supply chains and transatlantic trade. And it will assure continued protection of people’s right to privacy on both sides of the Atlantic.
As the governments finalize an agreement, we remain committed to upholding the highest standards of data protection in all our products, and are focused on meeting the needs of our customers as we wait for a revised agreement. But we urge quick action to restore a practical framework that both protects privacy and promotes prosperity. »