Dublin: Ireland's data protection watchdog,
acting on behalf of the European Union, has fined Google €403 million ($462
million) for breaching users' location data.
The technology giant infringed the EU's
General Data Protection Regulation between May 2018 and February 2020,
Ireland's Data Protection Commission said in a statement. In its final decision
after launching an inquiry in February 2020, the DPC ruled that Google
infringed the GDPR "in respect of the lawfulness and fairness of its
processing of location data in web and app activity and location history."
DPC deputy commissioner Graham Doyle said:
"As a result of Google's failures, individuals could have been unaware
that their location was being used to, for example, influence them with ads or
to infer their interests." He added that "the retention of users'
location data for longer than necessary aggravated this loss of control."
Alongside the fine, the regulator ordered Google to bring its processing into compliance within six months. Google did not immediately respond when contacted by AFP.
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