On Tuesday, Oct. 22, the first hearing in the lawsuit filed by the Stichting Bescherming Privacybelangen against Google will take place in Amsterdam. The foundation, with the support of the Consumers Union, sued the tech company for widespread privacy violations.
The first hearing is an important milestone in the lawsuit against Google, believes Ada van der Veer, president of the Foundation for the Protection of Privacy Interests. 'The court will assess whether we are allowed to represent the interests of millions of victims in the Netherlands. It is an important step towards a fundamental change in the way Google handles consumers' personal data. And an important step towards compensation. At the same time, it is frustrating that tomorrow will only be about whether the foundation is suitable, while Google continues to violate the privacy rights of millions of Dutch citizens every day.
In May 2023, the Stichting Bescherming Privacybelangen and the Consumentenbond started their action against Google. They want Google to stop illegally collecting and processing data of Dutch consumers for their own commercial gain. In addition, Google must pay users damages for Google's prolonged and stilted privacy violations.
Sandra Molenaar, director Consumer Association: 'Over 150,000 consumers have already registered for the Google claim and expressed their support for this procedure. That shows how important consumers consider this case to be. The signal from consumers is clear: Google should no longer trample the privacy rights of consumers in the Netherlands.
