Irish Regulator Issues Major Fine
Google received a 403 million euro fine, equivalent to about $463 million, for violating the European Union’s strict privacy rules. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission imposed the penalty after finding that the company mishandled users’ location information.
Ireland serves as Google’s lead privacy regulator within the 27-member bloc because the company’s European headquarters is in Dublin. The investigation began six years ago and examined practices from the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation in 2018 through February 2020.
Location Data Practices Breached EU Rules
Regulators found that Google did not lawfully or fairly process location data through Web & App Activity and Location History. The first setting tracks browsing and search activity, while the second maps places users have visited with their mobile phones.
The commission also identified problems with the Location Accuracy feature in the Android operating system. It concluded that Google failed to process personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently. Such data can reveal someone’s movements and expose details that are inherently private.
Google Cites Changes to Its Policies
The company said the decision concerned historical policies that it has already updated. Google maintained that its practices have changed significantly since 2019 and that newer tools make location data easier for users to manage.
The penalty is the fourth largest privacy fine issued by the Irish watchdog under European rules. Larger sanctions have previously been imposed on TikTok and Meta, including a 1.2 billion euro penalty against Meta.
Further scrutiny of Google remains underway. The regulator said it has three additional privacy investigations involving the company, extending the examination of its data practices beyond this location-information case.
References
The Associated Press. (2026, September 21). Google fined $463 million for breaching EU rule on location data. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/google-eu-privacy-ireland-3447a228ad95b17c53e990dd0b4afd43