Google faces EU privacy rules probe

A European Union panel of data protection supervisors has launched an investigation into whether US-based Google's search engine abides by EU data privacy rules.

Pietro Petrucci, a spokesman for EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini, said in Brussels that an independent 28-member panel of EU data privacy officers had demanded Google answer worries over the company's practices of storing and retaining personal information taken from users for up to two years.

"This group has addressed a letter to Google raising a number of questions," Petrucci said, adding that Frattini was backing the panel's investigation into Google's practices.

Peter Fleischer, Google's global privacy counsel, said Google was doing a lot to protect personal data from users on its search engine.

"We believe it's an important part of our commitment to respect user privacy while balancing a number of important factors," Fleischer said, adding Google was "committed to engaging in a constructive dialogue" with the EU.

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