Irish privacy regulator fines Google €403 million over location data processing

Business Recorder reported that Ireland's Data Protection Commission imposed a penalty of €403 million ($463 million) on Google's search business after examining how it processed location information. The announcement came on Monday.

The watchdog concluded that Google breached the EU's GDPR through three features, namely Web & App Activity, Location History and Location Accuracy, during 2018 to 2020. Officials also directed the company to align its processing with the rules within six months. The inquiry began in 2020 after complaints lodged by several European consumer groups, including BEUC.

Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said users may not have known their location was being used to target them with ads or infer their interests. He added that keeping location data longer than necessary worsened the loss of control over personal data. Three other inquiries into Google remain ongoing at an advanced stage, and the company had not immediately responded to a Reuters request for comment.