Google Slapped with €403M Fine Over Location Data Handling
Google has been fined €403 million (approx $463 million) by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) over its handling of users' location data. The penalty follows a six-year investigation triggered by complaints from seven European consumer organisations, including Norway's Forbrukerrådet.
The DPC examined Google's 'Web & App Activity', 'Location History', and 'Location Accuracy' features from May 25, 2018 (when GDPR came into force) to February 4, 2020. Investigators concluded that Google had breached the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on multiple fronts.
The company was found to have failed to process location data lawfully and fairly through Web & App Activity and Location History, and failed to demonstrate compliant, transparent practices for Location Accuracy. Graham Doyle, deputy commissioner at the DPC, stated that location data can 'greatly enhance the utility of online services' but also 'reveal a significant amount of information about an individual, including information that is inherently private.'
The regulator added that Google users could have been unaware their location was being used to influence them with ads or to infer details about their health and interests. The DPC has ordered Google to bring its data processing into compliance with GDPR within six months.