Google has been fined 403 million euros ($463 million) for breaching the European Union's strict privacy rules because it mishandled users' location data, the bloc's data privacy watchdog said Monday. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said its investigation found Google did not lawfully or fairly process location data in users' Web & App Activity, a Google setting that tracks browsing and search history, and in their Location History, a service that maps places they've been with their mobile phones. Regulators also found the company failed to be lawful, fair and transparent when it processed personal data in its Location Accuracy feature in the Android mobile operating system. Ireland is the lead regulator for Google in the 27-nation EU because the U.S. tech giant's European headquarters is based in Dublin. The investigation, which opened six years ago, examined how Google applied the EU privacy rule book, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, from the time it took effect in 2018 until February 2020. Live Events "This case centers around historical policies that have since been updated," Google said in a statement. "From 2019 onwards, we've significantly evolved our practices and launched robust tools that make managing location data simple." Regulators said that location data is a type of personal data that's collected by Google and can be used to infer someone's location. "Location data can bring both benefits and harms to individuals," Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said. "It can greatly enhance the utility of online services, but it can also reveal a significant amount of information about an individual, including information that is inherently private." It's the fourth biggest EU privacy fine issued by the Irish watchdog, which has previously handed out bigger fines to TikTok and Meta, including a 1.2 billion euro fine for Meta. The regulator said it still has three other ongoing privacy investigations involving Google. Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
Google fined $463m on location data rule breach
Google has been fined €403 million, or about $463 million, by Ireland's Data Protection Commission for breaching European Union privacy rules. The watchdog found that Google failed to lawfully or fairly process users' location data through settings like Web & App Activity and Location History between 2018 and 2020. Regulators stated that the tech giant also lacked transparency regarding its Location Accuracy feature on Android devices.
What happened
Google has been fined $463 million by Ireland's data privacy watchdog for mishandling users' location data in breach of EU privacy rules.
Why it matters
Even though this fine was handed down in Europe, it's a huge deal for us because tech giants like Google handle our personal location data every day on our phones. Stricter global privacy enforcement means tech companies might eventually be forced to give users everywhere better control over how their private movements and searches are tracked.
Impact
Google may face further scrutiny and fines from regulators worldwide, which could push them to make privacy settings more transparent and give users easier ways to opt out of location tracking globally.
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