Google’s ‘Fast-Track to Surveillance’ Sparks European Backlash

Google came under attack from European consumer groups who accuse the US giant of putting users on “a fast-track to surveillance” when they sign up to an account.

The Alphabet Inc. unit may be violating privacy law by steering people to an intrusive system, “where everything they do is monitored and exploited by the digital behemoth,” according to regional consumer organization BEUC, which is coordinating actions by 10 national groups against the company.

“Through a combination of deceptive design, unclear language, misleading choices and missing information, Google’s account signup process is designed to get consumers to allow an extensive ...