Noyb, the campaign group founded by privacy activist Max Schrems, has filed a complaint with France’s data protection authority about Google’s Android advertising identifier (AAID).

The privacy rights group argues that Google’s software creates the AAID without the user’s knowledge or consent and that it “functions like a license plate that uniquely identifies the phone of a user and can be shared among companies.”

It said it allows AAID to track users behaviour, elaborate consumption preferences and provide personalised advertising

The group said: “Google not only installs the AAID without consent, but it also denies Android users the option of deleting it.

“Users can merely “reset” the ID and are forced to generate a new tracking ID to replace the existing one. This neither deletes the data that was collected before, nor stops tracking going forward.”

Noyb is arguing that his tracking requires users’ informed and unambiguous consent under the European Union’s “cookie law, formerly known as Article 5(3) of the e-Privacy Directive.

As the complaint is based on the e-Privacy directive, the French data protection authority Commission Nationale de L’informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) can directly make a decision, without the need for cooperation with other DPAs in the EU, said the group.

GRC World Forums has approached Google for comment.

The complaint comes as Apple tells developers to prepare for the launch of its new App Tracking Transparency feature which will force apps to request user permission to track them or use their device’s advertising identifier.

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