# Irish regulator fine against Google over location privacy > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/irish-regulator-fine-against-google-over-location-privacy > Updated: 2026-10-02T10:35:00.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 2. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has imposed a fine of approximately €400 million on Google following an investigation into the company’s location tracking practices. The inquiry, which focused on activities between May 2018 and February 2020, was prompted by complaints from European consumer rights organizations. The regulator identified violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) involving the ‘Web & App Activity’, ‘Location History’, and ‘Location Accuracy’ features. The DPC found that Google lacked transparency and accountability, and failed to ensure the lawfulness and fairness of its data processing. Specifically, the company was found to have collected and stored detailed location data for targeted advertising, sometimes bypassing user permissions by using secondary background settings even when ‘Location History’ was disabled. In addition to the financial penalty, Google has been ordered to bring its data processing practices into compliance with privacy regulations within a six-month deadline. ## Timeline ### 2026-10-02: Google fined €403 million over user location data privacy Google has been fined €403 million by the Irish Data Protection Commission for GDPR violations related to the improper processing and storage of user location data. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/google-fined-403-million-over-user-location-data-privacy ### 2026-09-25: Google fined €400 million by Irish regulator over location tracking Google has been fined over €400 million by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission for violating privacy laws by tracking user locations even when settings were turned off. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/google-fined-400-million-by-irish-regulator-over-location-tracking --- Cite as: Irish regulator fine against Google over location privacy. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/irish-regulator-fine-against-google-over-location-privacy