Google, online ad industry accused of abusing intimate personal data in GDPR complaint

Today is International Privacy Day! To celebrate, a group of online privacy activists have set their sites on Google and the online advertising industry.

New in a GDPR complaint by the group of activists discloses how Google and other online ad auction companies unlawfully profile internet users’ diseases, disabilities, sexual orientation, ethnicities, and religion.

When a user visits a website that serves advertising, their personal data is often shared with thousands of third-party companies that take part in an automated auction. The advertising systems categorize each user based on what they’re reading, watching, or searching for. This info is then shared with the third parties who bid to get their ads shown to these specific users. 

Some of the categories users are placed in, like “gadgets” and “bowling,” are harmless. However, other categories are extremely sensitive.

The evidence filed by the group shows that Google