BRUSSELS, June 13 (Reuters) - Alphabet's

Google was hit with a complaint by Austrian advocacy group NOYB

on Thursday for allegedly tracking users of its Chrome Web

browser, an issue already on EU antitrust regulators' radar.

The U.S. tech giant is phasing out the use of third-party

cookies that advertisers use to track consumers in order to

protect consumer privacy.

It has introduced a set of tools called the Privacy Sandbox

to block covert tracking techniques and limit data sharing with

third parties while developers and publishers can measure ads

without tracking individual users.

Chrome users are asked whether they want to turn on the ad

privacy feature or not to prevent being tracked.

NOYB (none of your business) said the feature allows Google

to track users within the browser, and that the company should

first seek users' consent as required under European Union

privacy rules.

"People thought they were agreeing to a privacy feature, but

were tricked into accepting Google's first-party ad tracking.

Consent has to be informed, transparent and fair to be legal.

Google has done the exact opposite," NOYB founder Max Schrems

said in statement.

The group on Thursday filed a complaint with the Austrian

data protection authority.

NOYB has filed scores of complaints with EU and national

privacy watchdogs against big tech companies for alleged privacy

infringements.