Google Slapped with €403 Million Fine for Location Data Fiasco
Google has been hit with a massive legal setback after being fined €403 million ($463 million) by Ireland's Data Protection Commission for violating the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. The fine is related to Google's handling of users' location data between May 2018 and February 2020, specifically regarding Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy.
The regulator found that Google failed to meet requirements covering the lawfulness, fairness, and transparency of its location-data processing. Additionally, some user information was retained for longer than necessary, which aggravated the loss of control for users.
Google maintains that the investigation concerns historical practices that have since changed, with the company introducing additional user controls, automatic deletion options, and changes aimed at reducing the precision and retention of some location information.