Alphabet Inc (GOOGL)

[tw0122]

The inquiry concerns Google's massive Ad Exchange platform, which operates real-time online auctions in which highly-sensitive information about users gleaned from their browsing history is traded by companies which use it to create behavioral profiles for ad targeting.

New docs reveal ultra-creepy Google ad tracking
At issue is how Google retains personal data, its practices regarding transparency and minimization of data collected, and how that data is processed. Ad Exchange auctions can involve hundreds of third parties haggling over users' private data, attaching behavioral "tags" to their traffic without their knowledge – an operation which seems to run afoul of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirement that companies obtain explicit consent before dealing in sensitive information.

The DPC could fine Google up to 4 percent of its global revenues