Dutch privacy regulators ticked off at Google, may fine company $18.7 million

Privacy regulators in the Netherlands announced that they have imposed an "incremental penalty payment" against Google for violating Dutch data protection law, which could be as much as €15 million ($18.7 million).

The Dutch data protection authority (DPA) specifically notes that the search giant's 2012 terms of service revision, which permits the company to combine user data across multiple services (Gmail, YouTube, and others), is against Dutch law. Over a year ago, the DPA found Google in violation of the law, but it has not explained the long delay in imposing the financial sanctions.