German Web companies could face fines for using Google Analytics, a free online metrics service, The Local reports, citing the end of talks between German data protection officials and the company and threats of legal action. "Unfortunately we have come to the conclusion that Google has not complied with our data protection demands," said Johannes Caspar, Hamburg's commissioner for data protection. Google Analytics gathers information about Web site visits through users' IP addresses, the report states, and sends that data back to the U.S. for processing--a practice that German DPAs believe should be illegal. According to Google Germany's data protection official, however, the service has met EU privacy standards and the demands of German customers.
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