Google makes a big announcement about EU users just before the Digital Markets Act
The Digital Markets Act of the European Union has been the subject of much anticipation, but the day it will be implemented in EU member states is drawing nearer and closer.
The Direct Marketing Act (DMA) has been passed, but it will not be effective until March 6, 2024, which is quickly approaching.
As a precursor to that, Google published a new support paper outlining the choices accessible to consumers in the EU in relation to Google services.
As part of its efforts to meet the requirements of the DMA, Google is letting users “unlink” specific Google services from one another.
You have until March 6 to make your choices, but according to Google, they will not be truly unlinked until then.
When you connect services on Google, all of your data and actions are shared across all of Google’s products. Your Discover feed may be skewed, for instance, based on the videos you’ve watched on YouTube.
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In addition, by combining all the data, a more robust ad portfolio may be built for a specific user, allowing for better tailored adverts.
However, the DMA will allow EU customers to delink seven Google services in the coming weeks. Here are the services:
- Chrome
- YouTube
- Ad services
- Search
- Google Play
- Google Shopping
- Google Maps
According to Google, any service that isn’t on their list cannot be disconnected from other Google offerings. This encompasses additional Google products that constantly exchange data with one another.
In the document, Google defines “linking” in great detail. According to it, you can’t log out of your Google account on any service by unlinking it.
Furthermore, third parties may still receive the data acquired even if you de-link the aforementioned Google services.
Additionally, there are subtleties. “Your data may also be shared across Google services to effectively help you complete tasks when two services are offered together,” according to the report.
“For example, if you make a purchase on Google Play, Play and Google Payments will share related info so that you can complete your purchase.”
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The document’s wording makes it very apparent that its goal is to encourage customers to maintain service connectivity.
According to Google, “linked Google services can work together to help personalize your content and ads”; however, when you delete links from services, some capabilities will be removed.
Without a connection between Search, YouTube, and Chrome, Google warns that the What to watch and Discover streams will lose some of their personalization.
Additionally, the business claims that unless the two are connected, bookings booked through Google Search will not show up in Google Maps. If you value your privacy more than these advantages, it may be worth it to sacrifice them.
Unfortunately, these choices are exclusive to the European Union, no matter how cool they are. Until their governments pass legislation comparable to the DMA, Google users in other regions will be left out.
