Google Hit with €403 Million Fine Over Location Data Practices

A €403 million fine has been levied against Google by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) over the company's handling of location data. The investigation, which began in February 2020, looked at how Google collected and processed users' location information from May 2018 to February 2020.

The DPC found that Google violated several General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) principles, including unlawful and unfair processing of location data associated with web & app activity and location history. The regulator also criticized Google for insufficient transparency across all three features examined, as well as keeping some location data for longer than necessary.

Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle noted that location data can reveal 'a significant amount of information about an individual, including information that is inherently private.' He added that users may not have understood how their location was being used to influence advertising or infer their interests.

The fine is one of the largest ever imposed on a tech company under GDPR. Google has been ordered to bring its processing into compliance within six months.