Google Slammed with €403m Fine over 'Historical' Location Tracking Practices

Google Ireland has been hit with a €403 million fine by Ireland's data watchdog for its 'historical' location tracking practices. The six-year probe found that Google's processing of user location data was unlawful, unfair, and insufficiently transparent.

The company failed to show compliance with its accountability obligations for location accuracy, leading to excessive data retention. However, Google stressed that it had changed its practices after 2019.

The fine is one of the biggest EU privacy fines to date, highlighting the importance of transparency in data collection and processing.