Google fined 403 million euros

Ireland's Data Protection Commission penalized Google for mishandling location data across multiple services, violating EU privacy rules.

Three location services violated

Google unlawfully processed location data in Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy features on Android phones.

Investigation spanned six years

Regulators opened the case six years ago and examined Google's practices from 2018 until February 2020 under the General Data Protection Regulation.

Location data reveals private info

Regulators warned that location data can infer sensitive personal information about individuals, including inherently private details about their movements and habits.

“Location data can greatly enhance the utility of online services, but it can also reveal a significant amount of information about an individual, including information that is inherently private.”

Fourth largest Irish privacy fine

This is the fourth biggest EU privacy fine issued by Ireland's watchdog, which has previously fined TikTok and Meta, including a 1.2 billion euro penalty for Meta.

Google says practices have evolved

Google stated it has significantly updated its location data policies since 2019 and launched tools to help users manage their location information more easily.

“From 2019 onwards, we've significantly evolved our practices and launched robust tools that make managing location data simple.”