Google has been hit with a hefty fine of $463 million for not complying with the European Union’s stringent privacy regulations regarding the mishandling of users’ location information, according to a statement from the EU’s data privacy authority on Monday.
The Data Protection Commission in Ireland revealed that their investigation determined Google did not handle users’ location data correctly within their Web & App Activity, a setting that logs browsing and search histories. Additionally, the Location History feature, which tracks users’ movements via their smartphones, was also found to be mismanaged.
Moreover, the company did not process personal data lawfully, fairly, or transparently through its Location Accuracy feature within the Android operating system.
Ireland serves as the primary regulator for Google within the 27-member EU, largely because the company’s European headquarters is situated in Dublin.
The investigation, which began six years ago, scrutinized Google’s application of the EU’s privacy policies, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, from its implementation in 2018 up until February 2020.
In response, Google mentioned in a statement, “This case revolves around outdated policies that have been revised since. Starting in 2019, we’ve made substantial improvements to our practices and introduced effective tools to streamline the management of location data.”
The regulators emphasized that location data, categorized as personal data, is collected by Google and can reveal an individual’s whereabouts.
Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle remarked, “Location data has the potential to both benefit and harm individuals. While it can greatly enhance the functionality of online services, it can also disclose sensitive personal information.”
This fine ranks as the fourth-largest privacy penalty issued by the Irish regulator, which has previously imposed larger fines on companies like TikTok and Meta, including a €1.2 billion penalty for Meta.
The regulatory body also mentioned that there are three more ongoing investigations concerning Google’s privacy practices.
