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

Watchdog says users may have been unaware their information was used to target adverts or infer their interests

Google 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.

Location-related adverts are familiar to holidaymakers, but seven European consumer organisations had complained that undue use of location data can also lead to a breach of privacy.

The DPC inquiry was prompted by research by the Norwegian consumer agency in 2018 which suggested location data could reveal details such as religious beliefs (by tracking places of worship), political leanings (for example knowing a user has gone to demonstrations), health conditions (if a user has gone to hospital) and sexual orientation (if they have gone to certain bars).