INSPECTING ARCHIVED INTELLIGENCE (OUTDATED VERSION).

Google Fined $460 Million for EU Location Data Violations

| 2026-09-21 17:19 HIGH LOW
JSON
Executive Summary
AI-generated
--- SOURCE 1 [2026-09-21] (FULL ARTICLE) --- TITLE: EU data regulator fines Google more than $460 million for location data violations CONTENT: Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) will fine Google more than €403 million ($462 million) for the tech giant’s processing of location data, the regulator said Monday, concluding an inquiry into the company that began in February 2020. Google has also been ordered to fix its data processing practices within six months, according to the regulator’s press release .
Technical Mitigations AI-generated
• Reset credentials and API keys that may have been exposed, and review access logs for the affected accounts or integrations.
Intelligence Metadata
Actors / Malware / CVEs / Campaigns
Target & Sectors
EUROPE EUROPE
Incident Timeline
‎May 2018
The European Union launched an inquiry into Google's data processing practices starting in May 2018, when the GDPR became law.
‎February 2020
Ireland's Data Protection Commission fined Google more than €403 million ($462 million) for its processing of location data, concluding an inquiry that began in February 2020.
organisation the General Data Protection Regulation
The investigation, which opened six years ago , examined how Google applied the EU privacy rule book, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, from the time it took effect in 2018 until February 2020.
target_region Ireland
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) will fine Google more than €403 million ($462 million) for the tech giant’s processing of location data, the regulator said Monday, concluding an inquiry into the company that began in February 2020.
organisation Ireland’s Data Protection Commission
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) will fine Google more than €403 million ($462 million) for the tech giant’s processing of location data, the regulator said Monday, concluding an inquiry into the company that began in February 2020.
financial 403 euros
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) will fine Google more than €403 million ($462 million) for the tech giant’s processing of location data, the regulator said Monday, concluding an inquiry into the company that began in February 2020.
organisation TikTok
It’s the fourth biggest EU privacy fine issued by the Irish watchdog, which has previously handed out bigger fines to TikTok and Meta, including a 1.2 billion euro fine for Meta .
organisation Meta
It’s the fourth biggest EU privacy fine issued by the Irish watchdog, which has previously handed out bigger fines to TikTok and Meta, including a 1.2 billion euro fine for Meta .
financial 1.2 euro fine
It’s the fourth biggest EU privacy fine issued by the Irish watchdog, which has previously handed out bigger fines to TikTok and Meta, including a 1.2 billion euro fine for Meta .
‎2026/09/21
The European Union's lead data protection authority, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, fined Google €403 million ($463 million) for breaching the EU's General Data Protection Regulation due to its mishandling of users' location data.
organisation Ireland’s Data Protection Commission
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said its investigation found Google did not lawfully or fairly process location data in users’ Web & App Activity, a Google setting that tracks browsing and search history, and in their Location History, a service that maps places they’ve been with their mobile phones.
organisation EU
Ireland is the lead regulator for Google in the 27-nation EU because the U.S. tech giant’s European headquarters is based in Dublin.
EU data regulator fines Google more than $460 million for location data violations.
organisation Google
EU data regulator fines Google more than $460 million for location data violations.
Google has been fined 403 million euros ($463 million) for breaching the European Union’s strict privacy rules because it mishandled users’ location data, the bloc’s data privacy watchdog said Monday.
financial $460 regulator fines
EU data regulator fines Google more than $460 million for location data violations.
organisation the European Union’s
Google has been fined 403 million euros ($463 million) for breaching the European Union’s strict privacy rules because it mishandled users’ location data, the bloc’s data privacy watchdog said Monday.
The DPC is the European Union’s lead supervisory authority charged with overseeing Google’s data protection practices because the platform’s European headquarters are based in Dublin.
financial 403 euros
Google has been fined 403 million euros ($463 million) for breaching the European Union’s strict privacy rules because it mishandled users’ location data, the bloc’s data privacy watchdog said Monday.
financial $463 euros
Google has been fined 403 million euros ($463 million) for breaching the European Union’s strict privacy rules because it mishandled users’ location data, the bloc’s data privacy watchdog said Monday.
Google Hit With $463 Million Fine for EU Location Data Rule Breach.
organisation General Data Protection Regulation
The inquiry began more than six years ago after several European consumer rights groups asked the DPC to look into Google’s practices, which allegedly violated Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
organisation EU Location Data Rule Breach
Google Hit With $463 Million Fine for EU Location Data Rule Breach.
infrastructure Android
Regulators also found the company failed to be lawful, fair and transparent when it processed personal data in its Location Accuracy feature in the Android mobile operating system.
organisation Location Accuracy
Regulators also found the company failed to be lawful, fair and transparent when it processed personal data in its Location Accuracy feature in the Android mobile operating system.
organisation TikTok
Monday’s fine is the first time the DPC has punished Google, though other tech giants like TikTok and Meta have been fined hundreds of millions on multiple occasions.
organisation Meta
Monday’s fine is the first time the DPC has punished Google, though other tech giants like TikTok and Meta have been fined hundreds of millions on multiple occasions.
organisation DPC
The inquiry focused on how Google processes location data in connection with three of its services and features: web and app activity, location history and location accuracy, the DPC said.
organisation GDPR
Google’s practices allegedly violated GDPR due to how it tracked and stored the location data.
organisation the European Economic Area
The GDPR is a notably tough data protection law enforced throughout the European Economic Area (EEA), which gives citizens significant data protection rights.
Tactical Metrics
Metrics
financial
403,000,000
Euros
Google has been fined 403 million euros ($463 million) for breaching the European Union’s strict privacy rules because it mishandled users’ location data, the bloc’s data privacy watchdog said Monday.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) will fine Google more than €403 million ($462 million) for the tech giant’s processing of location data, the regulator said Monday, concluding an inquiry into the company that began in February 2020.
Metrics
financial
463,000,000
Euros
Google has been fined 403 million euros ($463 million) for breaching the European Union’s strict privacy rules because it mishandled users’ location data, the bloc’s data privacy watchdog said Monday.
Google Hit With $463 Million Fine for EU Location Data Rule Breach.
Metrics
infrastructure
‎Android
Affected Product
Regulators also found the company failed to be lawful, fair and transparent when it processed personal data in its Location Accuracy feature in the Android mobile operating system.
Metrics
financial
1,200,000,000
Euro Fine
It’s the fourth biggest EU privacy fine issued by the Irish watchdog, which has previously handed out bigger fines to TikTok and Meta, including a 1.2 billion euro fine for Meta .
Metrics
financial
460,000,000
Regulator Fines
EU data regulator fines Google more than $460 million for location data violations.
Intelligence Sources
SecurityWeek 2026-09-21
TheRecord 2026-09-21