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)
NAGOYA, Japan (AP) — Yu Zidi, the 13-year-old Chinese swimmer, on Monday won her second gold medal at the Asian Games as she points to much larger things at the Los Angeles Olympics in two years and a showdown with Canadian Summer McIntosh.
That head-to-head could come even earlier in next year's swimming world championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Yu took the 200-meter individual medley in 2 minutes, 6.10 seconds in the Tokyo Olympic pool. That is just off the world record of 2:05.70 held by McIntosh. Yu also won the 200 butterfly on Sunday, and she'll swim the 400 IM later in the week.
She said winning never gets old.
“I felt the same. I’m just as excited today,” Yu said. “The result reflects all the hard work I’ve put in during training with my coaching team.”
She said she got many congratulatory messages after Sunday's victory, but she had to keep her focus.
“I don’t want to get too confident,” she said. “I’ll just keep working hard.”
McIntosh won three gold medals in the Paris Olympics in 2024, all in the same races that Yu contests. McIntosh also holds the world marks in all of those events: the 200 fly (2:01.65), the 200 IM (2:05.70) and the 400 IM (4:23,65).
As a 12-year-old at the World Championships a year ago in Singapore, Yu finished fourth in her three events, and won a bronze medal in a relay.
She made more headlines earlier this year when she defeated American Regan Smith in the 200 fly in a meet in China. Smith was the silver medalist in the event in the 2024 Olympics.
Asian Games officials said it was unclear if Yu is the youngest gold-medal winner at the event, which dates from 1951 in New Delhi, because records are incomplete.
She's not even the youngest contestant entered this time. That is believed to be 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara, who competes for Japan in esports.
China won six of the seven gold medals on Sunday, It was not quite as commanding on Monday, but still won gold in five of seven events. In the 100 breaststroke, China's Dong Zhihao and Shin Ohashi of Japan tied with the same first-place time (58.64).
China won 28 gold medals in swimming in the Asian Games three years ago in Hangzhou, China, with South Korea getting six and Japan with five. It looks set to at least match that mark.
Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, the two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 100 and 200 free, repeated her Asian Games titles in the 200 free.
“I am very happy to win another gold medal,” she said. “That’s a really precious moment. Just happy to be here.”
See full AP coverage of Asian sports here
Gold medalist Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong celebrates on the podium after the women's 200-meter freestyle final in swimming at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Gold medalist Yu Zidi of China, center, flanked by silver medalist Yu Yiting of China, left, and bronze medalist Mio Narita of Japan pose on the podium after the women's 200-meter individual medley final in swimming at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Yu Zidi of China waves after competing in the women's 200-meter individual medley final in swimming at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Yu Zidi of China competes in the women's 200-meter individual medley final in swimming at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Gold medalist Yu Zidi of China poses on the podium after the women's 200-meter individual medley final in swimming at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
