Google Slapped with $463 Million Fine for Breaching EU Privacy Rules
Google has been hit with a massive fine for breaching the European Union's strict privacy rules. The tech giant was fined 403 million euros ($463 million) by Ireland's Data Protection Commission, which investigated how Google applied the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) from 2018 to 2020.
The investigation found that Google mishandled users' location data through its Web & App Activity and Location History settings. The company also failed to be transparent when processing personal data in its Location Accuracy feature on Android mobile operating systems.
Regulators emphasized the importance of protecting location data, which can reveal a significant amount of information about an individual's private life. Google stated that it has since updated its policies and launched tools to simplify managing location data, but regulators are continuing their investigation into three other ongoing privacy cases involving the company.