Google hit with $463 million fine for EU location data rule breach

Google has been fined 463 million US dollars by the European Union's data protection watchdog for violating strict privacy rules concerning users' location data. The investigation, which began six years ago, found that the tech giant mishandled location data in its Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy features on its Android mobile operating system.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission, which leads the EU's investigation of Google due to the company's European headquarters in Dublin, concluded that Google did not lawfully or fairly process the personal data. The regulator emphasized that location data, while beneficial to online services, can also reveal sensitive and private information about individuals.

This marks the fourth-largest EU privacy fine imposed by the Irish watchdog, following larger fines against TikTok and Meta. Google stated that while historical policies have since been updated, the company has significantly evolved its practices in managing location data since 2019. The Irish watchdog has three other ongoing privacy investigations involving Google.