Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Google Fined €403 Million Over Irish Location Data Processing
An Irish regulator fined Google €403 million.
The issue involved how Google handled people’s location data.
Location data can show where someone has been.
The regulator said people may not have understood that Google used this information.
It said the data could help influence the advertisements people saw.
The data could also be used to guess their interests.
The regulator said Google kept some location data for longer than necessary.
It said this made it harder for people to control their personal information.
An Irish regulator fined Google €403 million over its processing of location data.
DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said Google failed to provide adequate control over users’ personal data.
The regulator said individuals may not have known their location data was being used to influence advertisements.
Location data may also have been used to infer users’ interests.
The regulator said retaining location data longer than necessary worsened the loss of user control.
- Who
- Google and Ireland’s data protection regulator; Graham Doyle, the regulator’s deputy commissioner, commented on the decision.
- What
- Google was fined €403 million over failures in processing and retaining users’ location data.
- Where
- Ireland.
- Why
- The regulator said users may not have known how their location data was used and that retaining it longer than necessary reduced their control over their personal data.
Regulatory concerns
Google’s position
User control over location data
Regulatory concerns
The regulator said Google’s failures may have left individuals unaware of how their location data was used and reduced their control over personal data.
Google’s position
No response or opposing position from Google is provided in the article.
Data retention
Regulatory concerns
The regulator said keeping location data longer than necessary aggravated the loss of user control.
Google’s position
The article does not provide Google’s explanation of its data-retention practices.
- Company
- Fine
- €403 million
- Regulator
- Ireland’s data protection regulator
- Data involved
- Users’ location data
- Potential use
- Influencing advertisements and inferring users’ interests
- Additional concern
- Location data was retained longer than necessary