Google Hit With Privacy Complaint Over Unsolicited Ad Emails EDF Sues the French Government Over Energy Price Cap On 24 August, an Austrian advocacy group, noyb. eu, filed a complaint with France’s data protection watchdog in which it claimed Google has breached an EU court ruling by sending unsolicited advertising emails directly to Gmail users’ inboxes. French energy giant EDF is taking legal action against its own government for €8.3 billion after being forced to sell energy at a loss. The group argued that the Alphabet unit, whose revenues stem primarily from online advertising, should ask users of Gmail for consent prior to sending them direct marketing emails. Noyb.eu said that, although Google’s ad emails look like typical emails, they include the word ‘Ad’ on the lefthand side and are not dated. In a comment, Romain Robert, programme director at noyb. eu, said, “It’s as if the postmanwas paid to remove the ads from your mailbox and put his own instead.” Noyb.eu is an advocacy group founded by Austrian privacy activistandlawyerMaxSchrems. prices that are exacerbating the cost of living crisis. EDF is required to sell electricity to rivals at a heavy discount to mitigate its monopoly position. French officials increased the cap on the discount by a fifth in January, impacting the company’s finances. EDF says the government’s move has forced it to sell energy at a loss, with its claim stating that losses have totalled approximately €8.3 billion thus far. EDF claims the government’s actions could cost more than €15 billion across the year. EDF, which is undergoing nationalisation, has filed a compensation claim over the extension of France’s price cap in January. The French government forced the company to sell more of its energy to rival firms at prices below the market rates in a bid to address record-high energy MONTHLYROUND-UP 7
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