Ireland Fines Google Over Location Data Handling
Ireland fined Google €403 million on Monday. ABC News reported the amount as $463 million.
Ireland acted on behalf of the European Union. The fine relates to Google's handling of location data.
Google mishandled location data from May 2018 to February 2020. This covered Web & App Activity, Location History and Location Accuracy features.
Ireland's Data Protection Commission opened an investigation in February 2020. The investigation followed complaints from consumer groups in November 2018.
Eight consumer organizations filed the complaints. The European Consumer Organisation, known as BEUC, coordinated the complaints.
Ireland acted as Google's lead supervisory authority in the European Union. Regulators also ordered Google to fix its data practices.
Google must comply within six months. The European Consumer Organisation criticized the delay in enforcement. It said an eight-year delay can be as harmful as no enforcement at all.
Key Terms 3
- European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) A group representing consumer rights across European Union countries.
- Data Protection Commission Ireland's agency that enforces privacy rules for tech companies.
- Location History A Google feature that tracks where a user's device has been.