Google fined €403 million for GDPR violations related to location data processing
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has imposed a fine of €403 million on Google for breaching the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The violation concerned how user location data was collected and processed between 2018 and 2020. Features such as Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy were found to infringe upon users' privacy rights by collecting their location without proper consent or transparency. DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle stated that Google's practices allowed individuals to be unaware of how their data was being used for targeted advertising and interest inference. The prolonged retention of this sensitive information further compromised user control over personal data, according to the regulator.
Topics: GDPR Privacy Regulation Tech Companies