Google hit with €403m fine by Irish data watchdog over GDPR violations
The penalty follows an inquiry launched into the tech giant six years ago, following complaints from several European consumer rights organisations.
The Republic of Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has levied a substantial €403 million fine on Google for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This is one of the largest penalties ever imposed by the Irish watchdog authority. The investigation, initiated six years ago following complaints from European consumer rights groups, uncovered that Google had mishandled location data in three specific features between 25 May 2018 and 4 February 2020.
Location data, any information capable of inferring a person's location, can reveal considerable amounts of private information about an individual, according to DPC deputy commissioner Graham Doyle. The DPC's report highlighted that Google's practices contravened the GDPR, which mandates that personal data must be processed in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner.
The investigation revealed that individuals processing their location data might have been unaware that it was being used to influence ads or infer their interests, potentially leading to a loss of control over their personal data. Google has been ordered to rectify its data processing practices within six months. In response, the tech giant clarified that they have updated their policies since 2019, introducing robust tools and auto-delete controls for managing location data.
They also noted the introduction of measures such as simple ads management and increased transparency regarding their location data practices.
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