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 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.
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.
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.
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.
“This case centers around historical policies that have since been updated," Google said in a statement. "From 2019 onwards, we’ve significantly evolved our practices and launched robust tools that make managing location data simple.”
Regulators said that location data is a type of personal data that's collected by Google and can be used to infer someone's location.
“Location data can bring both benefits and harms to individuals,” Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said. "It can greatly enhance the utility of online services, but it can also reveal a significant amount of information about an individual, including information that is inherently private."
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.
The regulator said it still has three other ongoing privacy investigations involving Google.
FILE - A sign is displayed on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, Calif., Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
MADRID (AP) — Spanish soccer club Tenerife on Sunday paid tribute to Jesús de Miguel in its first game since the striker's shocking death, with midfielder Nacho Gil holding up De Miguel's jersey after scoring his team's opening goal shortly before halftime.
Before the second-division match, players from both Tenerife and Ceuta wore jerseys reading “Siempre en nuestro recuerdo” (Always in our memory). They gathered at midfield for a moment of silence. The shirts all had De Miguel's name and his No. 9 on the back.
After the warmup, Tenerife captain Enric Gallego placed De Miguel’s jersey on the field, and his teammates gathered around it.
Play stopped in the ninth minute, marking De Miguel's shirt number. Players, coaches and fans applauded.
Gil appeared overcome with emotion when he was given De Miguel's jersey after scoring in the 40th. Neal Viereck sealed Tenerife's 2-0 win over Ceuta, its first league victory since September.
A mural depicting De Miguel had been painted outside Gate 9 at Tenerife's Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium, where fans had left flowers, scarves and candles following his death.
De Miguel died on Nov. 3. He was chasing a high ball in midfield when he was struck in the chest by Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono, who rushed far outside his area near the end of the Nov. 2 match in Tenerife. The 30-year-old De Miguel suffered cardiac arrest following the collision.
Owono on Friday was suspended for 12 games after he received a red card for the on-field collision with De Miguel. The Spanish soccer federation’s disciplinary committee said Owono used “excessive force” in the collision.
Owono had issued a statement through his club expressing his remorse and offering his condolences to De Miguel’s family.
Spanish police opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter. Under Spanish law, deaths from non-natural causes, including accidents, are subject to judicial investigation, though prosecutors have said that criminal proceedings were unlikely.
Andorra coach Carles Manso said Thursday that it would be up to Owono to decide when he feels ready to play again.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Fans observe a moment of silence in memory of the late Tenerife player Jesus De Miguel before the Europa League opening phase soccer match between Crystal Palace F.C. and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in London, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
