
Why Google Customer Service Is Too Slow to Answer Questions About Its Privacy Policy
Google is the latest company to find itself in a legal hot water after its customer service team was unable to respond to a series of customer service calls, the BBC has learned.
The company’s spokesperson, who requested anonymity, said the issues arose because of the company’s reliance on third-party providers, such as Amazon, to handle its customer care needs.
Google declined to comment.
“We’re still working to resolve these issues,” she told the BBC.
The BBC understands Google’s customer service representatives are also facing a series a legal battles in the US, including one that is set to go to trial later this month.
A series of high-profile incidents have caused many internet users to feel frustrated and disillusioned with their internet experience, including the failure of Google to offer a more reliable way of connecting with a number of third-parties.
The complaints include the failure to provide users with a link to an automated process that allows them to opt out of a Google search.
Users are also reporting that the company is not doing enough to protect their personal data, such the refusal to offer users the option to opt-out of data collection.
“People feel that Google has not done enough to address their concerns about privacy,” one source told the Guardian.
“It is not just the data collection that is upsetting but the way Google is using it and the privacy implications,” the source said.
In February, the British government launched a legal action against Google over its data collection practices.
In a statement, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office said it had received more than 300 complaints from British citizens in response to its investigation into Google’s data collection policies.
The agency said it was also considering whether to launch an investigation into how Google’s Privacy Shield programme, which lets businesses offer privacy-focused products and services to their customers, was working.
Google’s privacy policy states that the website can’t collect or share personal information about users.
It states that “we don’t store your personal information for anyone other than to make it available to you for purposes like advertising or for the purpose of making sure we are providing you with the best possible service.”
“Our privacy policies are a set of practices designed to help us better understand and protect you from data collection,” it added.
In December, Google began to take steps to address the privacy issues.
“Google’s practices do not rely on any third party to collect personal information from us,” the company wrote in a blog post.
“Your information is never shared with third parties.”
In January, Google’s chief legal officer, David Drummond, wrote to the UK government urging it to consider changing the UK privacy laws.
“There is no doubt that the government’s actions are a step in the right direction, but I fear there is a gap between what Google is willing to accept and what the UK Government is willing or able to accept,” he wrote.