Ireland's DPC fines Google 403M euros to close 2020 location data inquiry
Ireland's Data Protection Commission has fined Google 403 million euros, closing an inquiry that began in 2020 into how the company handled users' location data. The case is one of several large enforcement actions brought against major tech companies under the EU's GDPR framework.
Why this matters: Google collected location data from people who thought they had turned it off. That was the core of this case. Four years later, the bill is 403 million euros. That sounds big, but for Google it is a rounding error. The real test of any fine is whether it actually changes behavior. A penalty that costs less than a day of revenue does not create much pressure to do things differently. People who trusted a privacy setting deserved a system that honored it, not one that tracked them anyway.
Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · General readers · Policy
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