Google Slapped with €403 Million Fine for Location Data Handling

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Google €403 million for its handling of location data under three features: Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy. The inquiry examined processing between May 25, 2018, when the GDPR came into application, and February 4, 2020.

The DPC launched the investigation after receiving complaints from several European consumer rights organizations, including BEUC. The regulator found that Google infringed the GDPR in relation to the lawfulness and fairness of its processing of location data through Web & App Activity and Location History.

Google was also unable to demonstrate compliance with the GDPR principles of lawfulness, fairness, and transparency in its processing of personal data through Location Accuracy. The DPC further identified transparency breaches across all three features.