Google Slammed with €403 Million Fine Over Location Tracking Practices

Google Ireland has been hit with a massive €403 million fine by Ireland's data watchdog for its historical location tracking practices. The fine is one of the largest EU privacy fines to date and comes after a six-year probe into whether Google processed users' location data illegally.

The Irish Data Protection Commission found that Google's processing of location data was unlawful, unfair, and insufficiently transparent. It also determined that the company's data retention was excessive and failed to show compliance with its accountability obligations for location accuracy.

Google stressed that it had changed its practices after 2019, implying that the issue is now a matter of history rather than an ongoing concern.