Ireland Fines Google €403 Million Over Location Data Privacy Violations
The Ireland Data Protection Commission (DPC) has imposed a fine of €403 million on Google for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) concerning the processing of users' location data.
The investigation, initiated in February 2020 by the DPC following complaints from consumer rights organizations, looked at three Google features that were in operation during the GDPR period: Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy.
The DPC found that Google had not fulfilled its transparency duties and had kept some location data for longer than was necessary. The authority claims that people might not have known that their location was being used to show them advertisements or work out their interests, thus losing control over their personal data.