Striking the right balance between protecting privacy and encouraging innovation is difficult in the rapidly changing world of the internet. But European regulators are right to increase the pressure by demanding that Google alter its controversial privacy policy, even if this could have consequences for all those offering internet services.

Googleerred when it ignored the request of European regulators to delay its new privacy policy in March. This pools user data it gathers across 60 online services, allowing Google to offer advertisers a better way to target customers. Now it will have to introduce significant changes or face sanctions, hardly the best advertisement for its service.

Google will have to show it has the “unambiguous consent” of users to combine data and better explain how, why and for how long it intends to hold on to this information. This is the right approach to data, which should be seen as the property of those from whom the details are obtained. The rule should apply to any company that collects personal information, whe-ther or not it operates on the net.