Google fined 403 million euros over location data

DUBLIN

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Google 403 million euros for breaching EU privacy rules in its handling of users’ location data, the regulator announced on Sept. 21.

The company has six months to bring its processing into compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

The inquiry into Google Ireland Limited followed complaints from European consumer organizations and covered the period from May 25, 2018, to Feb. 4, 2020.

The DPC found that Google unlawfully and unfairly processed location data through its Web & App Activity and Location History features. It also retained location data for longer than necessary.

For Location Accuracy, Google failed to demonstrate that its processing complied with requirements for lawfulness, fairness and transparency. The regulator also found transparency breaches across all three features.

Google said the case concerned “historical policies that have since been updated,” adding that it had changed its practices and introduced tools to help users manage location data from 2019 onward.

Ireland is Google’s lead privacy regulator in the EU because the company’s European headquarters are in Dublin.