Google fined more than €400m by Irish regulator over its use of location data

A major privacy watchdog has accused Google of failing to clearly inform users when their personal data was being collected to tailor advertisements or analyze their interests. The tech company now faces a record fine exceeding €400 million after investigations revealed concerns that users were misled into consenting to continuous mobile tracking. Regulators in Ireland, where Google’s European operations are based, determined the company’s data processing practices violated privacy laws. Consumer groups across Europe had previously raised alarms over Google’s extensive monitoring of user activity without sufficient transparency.

Watchdog says users may have been unaware their information was used to target adverts or infer their interestsGoogle has been fined more than €400m (£345m) over the way it processed users’ location data, following claims that the tech giant had manipulated users into agreeing to be constantly tracked on their mobile phones.The fine, imposed by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), comes after complaints from multiple European consumer organisations that Google was following every step users took. Continue reading...