Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has been fined €403 million by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), the primary regulator for privacy issues in the EU concerning major internet companies. This penalty was announced on Monday following an investigation initiated in 2020, spurred by complaints from various European consumer rights organizations regarding Google’s handling of location data.
The DPC stated that individuals were likely unaware that their location data was being used to target them with advertisements or infer their interests. Graham Doyle, the DPC’s Deputy Commissioner, emphasized that this lack of awareness and prolonged retention of users’ location data exacerbated the loss of control over personal information.
As of now, Google has not commented on the fine, which marks the fourth largest penalty imposed by the Irish supervisory authority. The DPC is the main regulatory body for many major American tech firms operating in Europe, as these companies conduct their European operations from Ireland.
