The Italian Data Protection Authority has asked Google to change its policies on the protection of personal data within 18 months.
The Italian authority has asked the search giant to make changes to the way in which it stores and treats personal data, as part of a probe in Europe, after it was found to be violating privacy laws in the region.
Italy, along with several European countries, started a probe into Google’s data policy in 2013, after the firm integrated the privacy policies of more than 60 of its services into one.
Google reportedly combined the data collection of users through its services, including YouTube, Gmail and Google+ without giving users an option to opt out.
The Italian regulator said it must seek prior consent from users regarding the use of personal data, clearly disclosing how the data is going to be used.
The Italian Data Protection Authority, however, said that Google has made progress in complying with local laws but the disclosure regarding the use of data for profiling and commercial purposes is inadequate.
Google has been asked to remove data from active users within two months of receiving a request, and to remove data from its backup systems within six months.
A spokesman for Google was quoted by Reuters as saying that it has always cooperated with the regulator and would continue to do so, adding it would carefully review the regulator’s decision before taking any further steps.
The company also agreed to put a document before the regulator by the end of September, to prepare a roadmap for complying with the order.
