A prominent privacy rights watchdog is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate a new Google advertising program that ties consumers’ online behavior to their purchases in brick-and-mortar stores. Google called its advertising approach "common" and said it had "invested in building a new, custom encryption technology that ensures users' data remains private, secure and anonymous." But the company did not disclose the mathematical formula it uses to protect consumers' data. The privacy organization is asking the government not to take Google’s word for it and to review the algorithm itself. In 2011, in response to a case brought by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Google settled FTC charges that it used deceptive tactics and violated its own privacy promises when it launched its social network, Google Buzz.

Source: Washington Post July 31, 2017 01:03 UTC