Google Faces Heat: Court Orders Greater Transparency on User Data Handling
Decision rendered: Google mandated to disclose details on user data management
Get ready to dive into the world of Google, where things just got a little more transparent—at least in the eyes of German courts! The tech giant is facing increased scrutiny over how it handles customer data across its 70+ services.
The Regional Court of Berlin has passed a ruling in favor of the Federal Association of Consumer Centres (vzbv), calling for Google to disclose during user registration the specific services that process their data. The court's decision echoes consumer advocate's concerns that neither the "express personalization" nor the "manual personalization" options fully comply with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Economy TikTok Fined €530 Million for Data Breach The verdict, initially announced on March 25, 2025, has only recently been published, and Google is far from satisfied. The internet heavyweight has lodged an appeal against the verdict, emphasizing a commitment to user choice and control.
However, judges at the Regional Court of Berlin believe that Google's account creation process was previously lacking in transparency. In their judgment, they stated that the defendant did not inform users about the individual Google services, apps, websites, or partners for which the data will be used.
A Step Back in Time Google argues that this verdict pertains to an old account creation process that has since been modified. They maintain that their commitment to user control and privacy remains unwavering, with clear choice and control options based on extensive research, testing, and guidelines from European data protection authorities.
The Court's Take The court, however, has rejected Google's argument that listing all services could result in an excessively long text, thereby compromising transparency. In their eyes, information about the scope of consent is one of the mandatory minimum requirements.
Criticisms Galore The Regional Court has also picked apart the "express personalization" option, where users could either agree to all data usage or abort the process without any options for differentiated rejection. In the "manual personalization" option, consumers were unable to opt-out of location settings for Germany.
In a nutshell, we're seeing Google being forced to step up its game when it comes to informing users about how their data is being used. While Google maintains that it has already made changes to address privacy concerns, the court aims to ensure that users have a clear understanding of what they're consenting to.
Behind the Scenes Interestingly, Google has also been involved in various legal actions related to privacy issues in Texas and California. In Texas, Google agreed to pay a $1.4 billion settlement over alleged privacy violations, while in California, a federal judge certified two nationwide classes of Google account holders, accusing the tech giant of secretly tracking browsing activity[2]. Despite these legal actions, Google continues to emphasize its commitment to privacy and user control[1][3][5].
[1] ArsTechnica.com, TX AG's Google Tracking Lawsuit Settled for $1.3 Billion, no admissions of wrongdoing, 2025[2] Reuters.com, U.S. Judge Approves Nationwide Class Against Google Over Privacy, 2025[3] NewYorkTimes.com, Google Settles Suit Over Location Tracking, but Faces Broader Privacy Lawsuit, 2025[5] CNet.com, Google is settling a lawsuit over location tracking—here's what you need to know, 2025
The Regional Court of Berlin's decision requires Google to disclose specific Google services during user registration, addressing concerns that its current employment policies regarding express and manual personalization may not fully comply with the GDPR. The court's ruling also emphasizes the importance of transparency in data-and-cloud-computing technology, insisting that the scope of consent is one of the mandatory minimum requirements.
