Ireland fines Google €403M over location data tracking

Ireland's Data Protection Commission on Monday imposed a €403 million fine on Google Alphabet Inc. ↘ 3.58% for breaching the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation in how it processed users' location data, capping a six-year investigation into the tech giant's tracking practices.dataprotection+1

What the Regulator Found

The DPC, which serves as Google's lead privacy regulator in the EU, launched the inquiry in February 2020 after complaints from several European consumer rights organizations, including BEUC. Investigators examined three Google features — Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy — covering the period from when the GDPR took effect on May 25, 2018, through February 4, 2020.reuters+2

The regulator found Google failed to process location data lawfully and fairly, fell short of its transparency obligations across all three features, and retained users' location data longer than necessary. The decision was issued by Commissioners Dr. Des Hogan, Dale Sunderland, and Niamh Sweeney.euronews+1

"As a result of Google's failures, individuals could have been unaware that their location was being used to, for example, influence them with ads or to infer their interests, and could lose control over their personal data," DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a statement. "The retention of users' location data for longer than necessary aggravated this loss of control."theverge+1

Google's Response and What Comes Next

A Google spokesperson said the case centers on historical policies that have since been updated. "From 2019 onwards, we've significantly evolved our practices and launched robust tools that make managing location data simple," the spokesperson said.morningstar+1

Alongside the fine, the DPC ordered Google to bring its processing into compliance within six months. According to Reuters, the penalty is the fourth-largest the Irish watchdog has issued since the GDPR took effect, behind the €1.2 billion fine imposed on Meta ↗ 1.02% in 2023 for transferring Europeans' personal data to the United States.thenextweb+2

BEUC director general Agustin Reyna said the decision holds Google accountable over the way it obtained consent to use location data but called for consumers' rights to be upheld faster.morningstar