EU Fines Google More Than $400 Million for Violating Data Protection Rules

Al-Taj News –

The Irish Data Protection Commission on Monday announced a €403 million ($462 million) fine against Google for violating rules concerning users’ location data, on behalf of the European Union.

The Irish authority responsible for enforcing the bloc’s rules in this area said the technology giant violated the General Data Protection Regulation between May 2018 and February 2020.

In its final decision following an investigation launched in February 2020, the authority concluded that Google had violated the European regulation “with regard to the lawfulness and fairness of its processing of location data within its Web & App Activity and Location History.”

Graham Doyle, Deputy Commissioner of the authority, said, “As a result of Google’s failings, individuals may not have been aware that their location data was being used, for example, to influence them through advertising or to infer their interests.”

He added that “the company’s retention of users’ location data for longer than necessary compounded their loss of control over it.”

In addition to the fine, the authority ordered Google to bring its data processing practices into compliance with the rules within six months.

In response, Google said that “the case concerns legacy policies that have since been updated.”