Ireland Fines Google €403 Million Over E.U. Location Data Violations

Ireland's Data Protection Commission fined Google €403 million ($463 million) on Monday for breaching E.U. privacy rules in its handling of users' location data. The DPC, Google's lead E.U. regulator due to its Dublin headquarters, found violations of the General Data Protection Regulation across three features: Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy. The inquiry covered May 25, 2018, through February 4, 2020. Regulators cited breaches of lawfulness, fairness, accountability, and transparency obligations, and said Google retained location data longer than necessary. The DPC ordered Google to comply within six months. Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said location data can reveal inherently private information. The penalty ranks as the DPC's fourth largest. The watchdog has collected over €4 billion from U.S. tech firms since 2018. Google said the case concerns historical policies since updated, citing auto-delete controls and simplified ad tools. Three additional inquiries into Google remain open.