Google fined for privacy violations

France’s privacy watchdog has fined Google €100,000 (£87,179) for breaching the country’s privacy rules with both its Street View and Latitude products.

The fine is the largest ever laid down by the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL), and punishes Google for failing to comply with its demands - including transparency - regarding data collection.

Google was heavily criticised last year after it was revealed its Street View cars had accidentally collected personal data via Wi-Fi.

The fine also applies to its mobile product, Google Latitude, which also collects data from users via Wi-Fi. The CNIL said this too breached French privacy rules.

It said the fine applied to “the economic advantages Google gained from these violations”.

The search giant, which has two months to appeal the decision, has said it no longer collects personal data.

This story first appeared on newmediaage.co.uk