The private browser and advertising blocking development team Brave accused Google and other IT companies of violating the provisions of the European General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR.
Complaints were filed with the authorities in the UK and Ireland on behalf of Johnny Ryan , Brave Policy Director , Jim Killock , a spokesman for the Open Rights Group, and Michael Will , an employee of University College London .
According to the plaintiffs, Google and other companies working in the field of advertising technologies illegally disclose user data to hundreds of advertisers. This is done to display targeted ads.
The breach of confidentiality occurs during RTB auctions, which are carried out using the OpenRTB and Authorized Buyers platforms. Brave claims that these platforms collect and transmit more personal data than can be justified for advertising purposes, including such information as sexual orientation, ethnicity and political views. Thus, they violate the GDPR.
As previously reported , serious violations of the GDPR are punishable by significant fines – up to 4% of the company’s annual turnover. Therefore, if the EU authorities recognize the charges against Google justified, the company may face another major fine. In addition, and more importantly, EU sanctions could undermine the data-driven model that the online advertising industry is built on.
Recall that in May, Austrian activist and privacy fighter Max Schrems (Max Schrems) also filed lawsuits against Google, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, accusing them of violating GDPR.
