Irish DPC fines Google €403 million over location data processing
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has fined Google €403 million following an inquiry into its processing of location data between May 2018 and February 2020. The regulator also ordered Google to bring its processing into compliance within six months.
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Google €403 million following an inquiry into the company’s processing of location data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The DPC’s final decision, dated 21 September 2026, concerns Google’s processing of location data through three features: Web & App Activity, Location History and Location Accuracy. The inquiry covered the period from 25 May 2018, when the GDPR began to apply, to 4 February 2020.
The DPC launched the inquiry in February 2020 following complaints from several European consumer rights organisations, including BEUC. As the lead supervisory authority for Google, the Irish regulator examined the company’s practices in relation to the processing of location data.
The decision found infringements concerning the lawfulness and fairness of processing through Web & App Activity and Location History. The DPC also found that Google could not demonstrate compliance with the GDPR’s requirements on lawfulness, fairness and transparency in relation to Location Accuracy.
The regulator identified additional transparency shortcomings across all three features. It also found infringements related to the retention of location data in Web & App Activity and Location History.
Alongside the €403 million administrative fine, the DPC ordered Google to bring its processing into compliance with the GDPR within six months.
