Google Faces Investigation Over Data-Sharing Practices With ICE
Key Takeaways
- Efforts to hold tech companies accountable for data sharing with law enforcement agencies are intensifying.
- GOOGLE's data-sharing practices with ICE have raised concerns among privacy advocates.
- The EFF is urging Google to revise its policies to inform users about data sharing.
Advocacy Group Demands Investigation Into GOOGLE's Practices
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a prominent digital rights organization, has written to the attorneys general of California and New York, urging them to investigate GOOGLE for allegedly deceptive trade practices.
The EFF's move follows reports of GOOGLE failing to notify users before handing over their personal data to law enforcement agencies.
Amandla Thomas-Johnson, a former PhD candidate at Cornell University, claims he received no notice that ICE had accessed his university email, despite GOOGLE's promises to inform users before disclosing their data.
The EFF has raised concerns that GOOGLE's failure to notify users in such cases may be widespread, and has called on the tech giant to revise its policies to ensure users are properly informed about data sharing.
The advocacy group's move is the latest development in an ongoing debate about the extent of tech companies' role in sharing data with law enforcement agencies.
GOOGLE has faced criticism in the past for its data-sharing practices, with some arguing that the company's policies prioritize profits over users' privacy rights.
The outcome of the EFF's request is unclear, but the move is likely to add to the growing scrutiny of GOOGLE's data-sharing practices.