Google broke Canadian privacy law by using search data to target Canadians with health-related ads
Source: Financial Post
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner says search engine giant Google Inc. violated Canadian law by using the sensitive search query information of Canadians in order to target users with health-related advertisements.
The investigation by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner was prompted by a complaint from a man who used Google’s search engine to seek out information related to medical devices to treat sleep apnea, and was then targeted with behavioural advertising on Websites unrelated to his condition.
Behavioural advertising is a staple of the search engine and online advertising industries. When a user searches for information about a particular brand or product, it’s not uncommon for that user to being seeing ads for those brands on sites that have advertising partnerships with the search engine.
However, Canadian privacy law states that advertisers should avoid collecting sensitive personal information about users, including health information, which can be used to deliver targeted advertising.
Read more: http://business.financialpost.com/2014/01/15/google-inc-privacy-health-canada/?__lsa=a448-bb4c
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