Google just announced changes for European users that will let them decide exactly how much data sharing they’re willing to accept. The company said that this new policy is a response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) and allows users to choose not to participate in data sharing on all, some, or not all Google services. Services listed include YouTube, Search, Advertising Services, Google Play, Chrome, Google Shopping, and Google Maps. But the policy isn’t watertight — Google still shares user data when it needs to complete a task (for example, if you use Google Pay to buy something on Google Shopping) to comply with the law, stop fraud, or prevent abuse.
This isn’t the biggest change Google will have to make to comply with the DMA, which takes effect on March 6. The law also includes additional rules on interoperability and competition. For example, Google will no longer be able to treat its own services more favorably than other third-party services in search rankings.
The EU is not the only government to take issue with Google’s vast trove of user data. In the United States, the Justice Department is suing Google in what may be the nation’s largest antitrust trial since the government sued Microsoft in the 1990s. In one of its arguments, the Justice Department said the massive amounts of user data Google collected over the years resulted in the creation of a “data fortress” that helped ensure the company remained the world’s leading search engine.
Still, Google’s new DMA changes will cause some users to make trade-offs. The company noted that if users unlink from Search, YouTube and Chrome, they will abandon their personalized recommendations on YouTube. If Search and Maps are unlinked, Google Maps will no longer be able to suggest locations (such as restaurants) based on previous activity. Google users will still have to choose between privacy and convenience, but at least in Europe, they’ll draw the line more precisely.
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