Google Fined €403 Million for Location Data Abuse, But Can Pay It Off in Just 2 Days

The European Union's Data Protection Commission has fined Google €403 million for its unlawful processing of users' location data between 2018 and 2020. According to Jurgita Miseviciute, Head of Public Policy at Proton, this is 'a multi-million euro slap on the wrist' that will barely be noticed by Alphabet, Google's parent company.

Proton calculates that Alphabet can cover the €403 million fine in just 55 hours, or about two days and seven hours. This is based on Alphabet's reported 2025 free cash flow of $73.3 billion, which breaks down to roughly $200 million a day.

This is not an isolated incident, as Google has been fined nearly $4.24 billion in 2025 alone for separate incidents. The company's massive financial reserves mean that it can easily replace these sums in a short period of time.

Miseviciute warns that the lack of financial sting from these fines makes them 'a mere cost of doing business rather than a mechanism for actual reform.' She emphasizes that regulators must issue penalties that genuinely threaten a tech giant's bottom line if they are serious about compliance.