Google Slapped with €403 Million Fine Over Location Data Handling

Google has been hit with a hefty fine of €403 million by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) for its handling of user location data. The penalty comes after a six-year investigation into how the tech giant tracked and stored users' location information.

The DPC examined three Google features: Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy, covering the period from May 25, 2018, when the GDPR came into force, to February 4, 2020. Regulators found that Google breached the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on multiple fronts.

Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said location data can reveal deeply personal information about individuals, even when combined with other data held by Google. He added that users could have been unaware of how their location was being used to influence them with ads or infer their interests.