The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined Google €403 million for multiple breaches of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in its handling of user location information. The sanctions resulted from an investigation launched in February 2020 following a series of complaints from public organizations.
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The regulator found that the company did not provide the required level of transparency and legality when collecting sensitive personal data. This check affects three features that were active between May 2018 and February 2020: “Web & App Activity,” “Location History,” and “Location Accuracy.” The first setting allows tracking of user actions across various Google services. The second records activities that are compatible with mobile device owners, allowing them to create routes even when they are not actively using Google services. The third feature improves GPS accuracy on Android devices, regardless of whether the account is available.
The investigation found that the processing of data through the first two functions did not comply with the requirements of the GDPR. In terms of determining the accuracy of coordinates, Google was unable to prove compliance with the principles of the regulation. Regulators are particularly concerned about the lack of clear user awareness: people may not be aware that their geographical data is being used for ad targeting. Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle pointed out that this situation effectively takes away people’s control over their personal information.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the information collected is stored for too long. According to the DPC, storing action history beyond the prescribed period causes users to lose control of their digital footprints. In response to the regulator’s claims, Google said that relevant practices have occurred in the past and have changed significantly, and that since 2019, new tools have been introduced to manage location data.
Google currently offers users the option to automatically delete data. Information in the Google Maps Timeline (previous location history) is stored locally on the device and cleared after three months. The company also clarified that the exact location is not stored in the web app activity section, but only an approximate location. In comments to this publication Computer beeps A Google representative said the company has updated its rules and introduced a mechanism to make it easier to manage location profiles.
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