One month after apparently sounding the death knell for its Scroogled' campaign, Microsoft has once again fired up its anti-Google rhetoric, accusing the web giant of dangerous practices when it comes to sharing customer data collected through the Google Play app store.
In two new videos, Microsoft details how Google Play collects the full name, email address and home neighbourhood of the person purchasing an app and passes the information on to the developer.
"Most app makers are trustworthy, however in the wrong hands who knows what they'll do with your info?" The voiceover asks, before claiming Google does not clearly warn purchasers about this alleged transfer of data when the app purchase is made.
As Microsoft admits in its video, it is not the first to raise concerns over the use of customer data in this way.
In February, privacy campaigner Alexander Hanff sent an open letter to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) after Australian app developers expressed concern over the transfer of personally identifiable information through the app store.
In a statement to Associated Press, Greg Sullivan, senior manager for Windows Phone at Microsoft, said: "We think we have a better alternative that doesn't do these kinds of nefarious things."
This is the third wave of Microsoft's Scroogled campaign, which was launched in December 2012 and originally focused on Google's practice of prioritising paid-for search results over general ones.
However, come February 2013, the organisation had turned its attention to privacy issues, with an offensive against Gmail, followed by a legal motion in Massachusetts that targeted Google Apps for Education.
