Google Fined $463 Million for Breaching EU Rule on Location Data

Google has been fined $463 million by the European Union for violating privacy rules regarding location data, according to the bloc’s data privacy watchdog. The investigation, which began six years ago, found that Google mishandled users' location data in its Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy features on Android mobile operating systems.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, the lead regulator for Google in the 27-nation EU, stated that the company did not lawfully or fairly process this data. Although Google acknowledged that its historical policies have since been updated and that it has improved its practices since 2019, regulators emphasized that location data can bring both benefits and harms to individuals, as it can reveal significant amounts of private information.

This is the fourth-largest EU privacy fine issued by the Irish watchdog, which has previously fined TikTok and Meta. The regulator is still conducting three other privacy investigations involving Google.