Business · India Bureau
Google hit with €403 million fine for EU privacy violations on location data
The tech giant has been penalised by European regulators for mishandling user location information across multiple services. Ireland's Data Protection Commission found Google breached the bloc's strict privacy rules in its investigation spanning six years.
LSN India ·
Google faces a €403 million (USD 463 million) penalty for breaching European Union privacy regulations regarding the handling of user location data, Ireland's Data Protection Commission announced on Monday.
The investigation found that Google failed to lawfully and fairly process location information in multiple services, including Web & App Activity—a setting that monitors users' browsing and search history—and Location History, which tracks the physical places users visit via mobile devices. Regulators also determined that the company did not maintain lawful, fair and transparent practices when processing personal data through its Location Accuracy feature in the Android operating system.
Ireland's Data Protection Commission serves as Google's lead regulator within the 27-nation European Union, given that the American technology company maintains its European headquarters in Dublin. The enforcement action underscores the bloc's rigorous application of the General Data Protection Regulation, its comprehensive privacy framework that sets strict standards for how companies collect and handle personal information.
The six-year investigation examined Google's compliance with GDPR requirements and represents the latest in a series of substantial fines imposed on major technology firms by EU regulators for data protection violations.