Overview
- Ireland’s Data Protection Commission concluded on Monday that Google unlawfully processed users’ location information in Web & App Activity, Location History and Location Accuracy between May 25, 2018 and February 4, 2020.
- The DPC found breaches of GDPR rules on lawfulness, fairness, transparency, accountability and retention and imposed a €403 million fine plus a six‑month compliance order.
- Regulators said Google’s settings and disclosures could have left users unaware their movements were being used to target ads or infer private traits, and that the company held some location data longer than necessary.
- Google responded that the decision addresses historical policies it updated from 2019 and pointed to newer controls such as auto‑delete and simplified location management tools.
- The ruling is the DPC’s fourth‑largest fine and comes while three other major statutory inquiries into Google remain at advanced stages, increasing regulatory pressure on the company in Europe.