Google fined €403 million over location data
22 September 2026 New Delhi The Data Protection Commission (DPC) of Ireland has fined Google €403 million for breaching European Union privacy laws on the use of users’ location data. The Irish regulator found that Google had violated GDPR rules regarding location data between May 2018 and February 2020.
The study considered three Google features: Web & App Activity, Location History and Location Accuracy. The DPC said Google failed to comply with requirements for the lawfulness, fairness, transparency and retention of location data under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Google’s location tracking under scrutiny
The DPC’s investigation looked at how Google handled location data across its various services and settings.
Web & App Activity enables Google Account users to have data linked with their activity on Google services, such as browsing history, search history and location data, processed.
Location History is a Google service that records location information from compatible devices and can use this data to create a private map of the places and routes users have traveled.
Location Accuracy is an Android feature that uses information other than the GPS system of the device to find the location of a device more accurately.
The regulator said Google’s practices fell short of GDPR requirements and users may not have been aware of how their location data was being used. The DPC was also worried about the retention of location data in Web & App Activity and Location History.
Ireland to Fore in Google EU Privacy Cases
Google’s European headquarters are in Dublin, which makes Ireland’s Data Protection Commission the lead supervisory authority for the company in the EU. The probe, launched in February 2020 following complaints by a number of European consumer rights groups including BEUC,
The DPC has now imposed administrative fines totaling €403 million and directed Google to bring its processing of location data into compliance with the requirements of the GDPR within six months.
Google’s answer
Google said the case involves older policies and that it has since changed its approach to location data, including giving users more control, choices about automatic deletion and storing less precise location information.
The €403 million fine is one of the largest ever levied by Ireland’s privacy watchdog. The DPC has previously slapped far heftier fines on other big tech firms, including Meta and TikTok.
Google also faces regulatory scrutiny in Europe, where other privacy-related investigations involving the company are still ongoing.
The latest move highlights the heightened regulatory scrutiny on how tech firms collect, process and store sensitive location data under Europe’s strict privacy regime.
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