According to a report by ProPublica, Google may have shared User data potentially sensitive with a sanctioned Russian company, RuTarget. It seems that the contacts have gone on until 23 Junealthough for four months the US Senate had warned the Mountain View company to pay attention to possible scams by the Russian authorities.
Google may have shared user data with a sanctioned Russian company
The ProPublica report highlights how Google has given access to various data to RuTarget. A Russian company that helps the brands and marketing agencies with digital ads, owned by the national bank Sberbank.
According to what emerges, RuTarget would have had access to user data about traffic on sites and apps also in Ukraine, as well as in other parts of the world. As confirmed by the analysis company Adalytics. That points to nearly 700 instances where RuTarget received user data from Google. Although the company was on the US Treasury list for entities sanctioned since February 24. According to ProPublica, however, the exchange of information would be arrived until 23 June.
The inclusion of RuTarget in the list of sanctioned companies would be enough to prevent contacts with Google. We have seen this several times in recent years, with the company that has also cut off relations with large companies in order not to incur the measures of the US authorities. But the fact that Sberback both ownership worsens the situation. For the US ministry of economics the bank is “Uniquely important” for the Russian economy and since April 6 is on the list of entities under total embargo.
Did Google bypass US blockades against Russian companies?
The analysis published by ProPublica shows that Google would have shared browsing data on the websites of users based in Ukraine. This could mean that the Unique IDs of smartphones, IP addresses, location information and interests and online activity they may have ended up in the hands of the Kremlin. That he may have used them to track people and places of interest during the conflict.
A Google spokesperson told ProPublica that Google cut ties with RuTarget as early as March. However, it would appear that Google has acknowledged that RuTarget has received data on users and ad purchases until ProPublica and Adalytics warned Mountain View.
Purchasing data and user interests form a five-hundred billion dollar global marketplace. A market dominated by Google. Which now in all likelihood will have to answer to the American lawmakers of the data shared with the Russian company despite the embargo. E it will have to do so at a time when “data brokers” are under the scrutiny of politics both in America and in Europe.
We will keep you updated on the development of this story.