Google fined $463 million for breaching EU rule on location data

The Irish Data Protection Commission has imposed a hefty fine of 403 million euros ($463 million) on Google for violating strict European Union privacy rules. The investigation found that Google mishandled users' location data, which is collected through Web & App Activity and Location History settings.

Regulators also discovered that the company failed to handle personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently within the Location Accuracy feature in the Android mobile operating system. Ireland is the primary regulator for Google within the 27-nation EU, as the tech giant's European headquarters are located in Dublin, Ireland. The six-year investigation examined Google's adherence to the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) from its implementation in 2018 until February 2020.

Google stated that the case centers on outdated policies that have since been updated, adding that they have significantly evolved their practices and introduced robust tools to simplify managing location data. From 2019 onward, Google claims to have made substantial improvements to their handling of location data.

The regulators emphasized that location data, while beneficial for enhancing online service utility, also reveals significant personal information, including inherently private data. This is the fourth-largest EU privacy fine issued by the Irish watchdog, which has previously imposed larger fines on companies like TikTok and Meta. The investigation into Google is not the last, as there are still three other ongoing privacy investigations involving the company.