Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has imposed a fine exceeding €400 million on Google over its handling of location data, The Guardian reports. The matter followed complaints by European consumer organisations.
The report focuses on whether people understood how their information was being used. Consult the original coverage for the regulator’s findings and the company’s response.
Location can reveal more than movement
The inquiry followed complaints from European consumer groups about the use of location information. Such data can reveal patterns linked to a person's interests, movements or sensitive activities. The regulatory action concerns how that information was processed and the basis for doing so; it is not simply a dispute over whether a phone can determine its location.
Join the conversation