Google could face criminal proceedings in Italy if it doesn’t clean up its act on privacy

Google could face criminal proceedings, as well as a €1 million ($1.35 million) fine, in Italy if it doesn’t change its data-handling ways.

According to a ruling by the Italian data protection commissioner, who has been coordinating with counterparts across Europe, Google must do the following within 18 months to comply with privacy law:

• Make it clear to users that their data is mixed and matched across Google services for marketing purposes, both by cookies and by more advanced behavioral “fingerprinting” technologies.
• Get explicit opt-in permission from users before using their data in this way.
• Define how long it retains users’ data.
• Delete users’ data when asked, within 2 months for data stored on “active” systems and within 6 months for backed-up data.