For their “aggressive” data harvesting, both corporations were fined €10 million.
Both Apple and Google have been fined $11.3 million (€10 million) in Italy for what the country’s antitrust office, the AGCM, defines as “aggressive methods regarding the acquisition and use of consumer data” that violate the country’s Consumer Code.
The AGCM claims to have discovered two violations of the Customer Code: “one for a lack of information, and the other for aggressive actions linked to the acquisition and use of consumer data for commercial reasons,” according to the AGCM. The fines of €10 million are the greatest amount it can levy.
When users create accounts or use Google‘s services, they are accused of not providing enough information about how their data will be handled. When customers create Apple IDs or utilize its digital markets, Apple is similarly secretive about how it handles its data.
That concludes the first Consumer Code violation. The second is that both businesses are alleged to have designed their account creation processes so that providing personal data, which they may then utilize for a variety of commercial purposes, is the default.
Apple and Google, according to TechCrunch, plan to fight the fines and have denied any wrongdoing. If it seems familiar, it’s because Apple made a similar allegation on November 23 when the AGCM fined Apple and Amazon $225 million (€200 million) for Beats sales.
Apple and Google did not reply to demands for comment right away.
