Spain's privacy watchdog hit Google with a $1.2 million fine for breaking the country's data protection laws and "seriously infringe citizens' rights."
The Data Protection Agency found Google guilty of three separate violations for collecting information about its users in Spain sharing that data across its services, like search and Google Drive; and not properly informing them of collection practices. Each violation resulted in a fine of 300,000 euros, around $400,000.
See also: Google Reaches $17 Million Privacy Settlement With States
Google "doesn't give users enough information about which data it collects, for what purpose it uses the data, it combines data obtained through different services, and it keeps it for an undefined amount of time," the agency said in a statement.
The Data Protection Agency considered Google's collection and treatment of personal data as illegal, and said that Google uses "vague wording" when explaining its practices in its privacy policy.
Google will now be forced to comply with Spanish data protection law as soon as possible, the agency said in the statement, and correct the practices highlighted as illegal. The search giant said it would study the decision before determining its next steps, according the Wall Street Journal.
The fine in Spain is the result of a coordinated investigation among various European countries, launched after Google changed its privacy policy in March 2012. Five more European countries — France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Netherlands — are investigating Google for the same reasons, and in Italy and Germany, the fines could also exceed $1 million.
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