EU fines Google €403 million for improperly using location data
Ireland, on behalf of the European Union, said Monday it had fined Google €403 million for improperly using users' location data between May 2018 and February 2020. However, the eight-year delay drew some criticism, as the European Consumer Organisation said that "can be as harmful as no enforcement at all".
Microsoft and Google collaborated via the Global Signal Exchange (GSE) to dismantle a $66 million cybercrime marketplace known as RedVDS. The marketplace sold virtual machines preloaded with unlicensed software, which cybercriminals used to launch phishing, business email compromise, and other attacks. The GSE, a UK-based non-profit co-founded by Google in 2025, facilitated real-time monitoring of the cybercrime supply chain.
Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit and Google's threat detection systems identified the RedVDS marketplace, leading to the seizure of its web domains and servers in the UK and US. Europol also took action against Europe-based RedVDS servers. The operation targeted 130,000 organizations and compromised 191,000 Microsoft email accounts during September-December 2025.
Both Microsoft and Google plan to continue sharing threat data through the GSE, highlighting the importance of collaborative efforts in combating cybercrime.
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