DPC opens inquiry onto Google Ireland practices

Ad Exchange to be examined for possible GPDR infringement

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Image: Google

The Data Protection Commissioner has opened a statutory inquiry into Google Ireland Limited looking at the processing of personal data in Ad Exchange.

A statement from the DPC said “The purpose of the inquiry is to establish whether processing of personal data carried out at each stage of an advertising transaction is in compliance with the relevant provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR principles of transparency and data minimisation, as well as Google’s retention practices, will also be examined.”

The statement said that the statutory inquiry pursuant to section 110 of the Data Protection Act 2018, and is in part due to submissions, and naming specifically Dr Johnny Ryan of browser company Brave. Dr Ryan pointed out in a tweet that this is the DPC’s first investigation of Google under GDPR, with the Irish DPC being Google’s main regulator under the regulation.

The announcement comes just ahead of the one year anniversary of the implementation of the regulation.

In a blog post on the Brave web site, Dr Ryan points out that Google acquired the DoubleClick/Authorized Buyers in 2007 for $3.1 billion, but according to filings, now makes some $19 billion in revenue from ads served.

TechCentral Reporters

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