Google fined €403 million over user location data privacy

The Irish Data Protection Commission, acting on behalf of the European Union, has imposed a €403 million fine on Google regarding the processing of user location data. The investigation, which began in February 2020 following complaints from European consumer rights organizations, focused on the period between May 2018 and February 2020.

The regulator identified violations across three specific features within the Google ecosystem: ‘Web & App Activity’, ‘Location History’, and ‘Location Accuracy’. The commission cited issues regarding the lawfulness and fairness of data processing, a lack of transparency, and failures in accountability. Additionally, the authority found that location data collected through certain features was being stored longer than necessary.

In addition to the financial penalty, Google has been ordered to bring its data processing practices into compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) within a six-month deadline.