Google Ireland has been fined €403 million following a data-protection investigation into the company’s processing of users’ location information.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission found breaches relating to the processing of location information associated with settings including Web & App Activity and Location History.
The regulator also examined Google’s Location Accuracy functionality on Android and concluded that aspects of the company’s processing did not satisfy requirements concerning lawfulness, fairness, transparency and accountability under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.
The investigation covered historical practices from 2018 to February 2020. Google says the case concerns older settings and that it has significantly changed how location information is handled since then.
Ireland acts as Google’s principal European privacy regulator because the company’s European headquarters are located in Dublin.
The case is particularly relevant beyond Europe because modern privacy statutes increasingly require organisations to do more than merely obtain data.
Controllers must be able to identify a lawful basis for processing, inform individuals clearly, minimise unnecessary collection and demonstrate accountability.
Nigeria’s Data Protection Act similarly makes privacy compliance an increasingly important legal and corporate-governance issue
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Source: Report on Irish DPC Decision
