Google's Parent Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) stock is trading lower today. The Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation into Google and its parent company Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), regarding their methods for obtaining user consent for linking data across various services.
The probe focuses on how Google requests consent from users to link data across its services, such as Google Search, YouTube, Chrome, and Maps.
The Italian regulator suspects that Google may provide inadequate or misleading information about the effects of this consent.
The Authority alleges that Google's consent requests might lack transparency about the scope and implications of combining user data across multiple services. This could lead users to unknowingly consent to broader data use than intended.
The investigation also examines whether Google employs techniques that could influence consumer decisions.
The Authority is ...