Google is fined more than €400m by Irish regulator over its use of location data
Ireland's Data Protection Commission has fined Google over €400 million for its handling of user location data. The regulator found that Google's practices potentially misled users regarding how their movements were tracked and used for advertising or profiling.
Why it matters
This ruling highlights the ongoing tension between tech giants' data collection practices and European privacy regulations like GDPR.
The DPC found that Google users could have been unaware of how their data was being used. The DPC found that Google users could have been unaware of how their data was being used. Google Google fined more than €400m by Irish regulator over its use of location data Watchdog says users may have been unaware their information was used to target adverts or infer their interests
Prefer the Guardian on Google Google has been fined more than €400m (£345m) over the way it processed users’ location data, following claims that the tech giant had manipulated users into agreeing to be constantly tracked on their mobile phones.
The fine, by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), comes after complaints from multiple European consumer organisations that Google was following every step users took.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in