Google Slapped with €403 Million Fine Over Location Data Mishandling

Google has been fined €403 million ($463 million) by the European Union's data privacy watchdog for breaching EU rules on location data. The fine was handed down by Ireland's Data Protection Commission, which is responsible for regulating Google in the EU because its European headquarters is based in Dublin.

The investigation found that Google mishandled users' location data through its Web & App Activity setting and Location History service. Regulators also discovered that the company failed to be transparent when processing personal data in its Location Accuracy feature on Android devices.

The fine is the fourth largest EU privacy fine issued by the Irish watchdog, which has previously handed out bigger fines to TikTok and Meta. Google claimed that the policies at issue have since been updated, and that it has introduced new tools to help users manage their location data.