Make FTC Act Against Google, Privacy Advocates Ask Court

Advocates asked a federal court to order the Federal Trade Commission to enforce its privacy settlement against Google, saying the company’s new privacy policies violate the agreement.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center said it would file a motion in U.S. District Court in Washington. A complaint from the same group led to an FTC settlement last March with Google over allegations that it engaged in unfair and deceptive practices when it automatically signed up Gmail users for its now-defunct social-networking service Buzz. “Google’s recent announcement that the company intends to consolidate users’ personal information without individuals’ consent violates the consent order and threatens to harm consumers,” EPIC said in a document it filed with its motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. “The FTC is required to enforce the consent order. But the commission has failed to do so.” The settlement prohibits the Internet giant from misrepresenting its privacy practices. It also requires Google to obtain users’ consent before disclosing their personal data and to comply with a comprehensive privacy program, subject to periodic independent audits for two decades. EPIC argued that the proposed privacy changes Google announced last month violate the FTC settlement by “misrepresenting the extent to which it maintains and protects the privacy and confidentiality” of the information covered by the agreement. In addition, Google also violated its FTC settlement by failing to obtain its users’ consent before sharing their data with third parties, EPIC claimed.