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 over the way it processed users’ place 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, comes after complaints from multiple European consumer organisations that Google was following every step users took.
Place-related adverts are familiar to holidaymakers, but seven European consumer organisations had complained that undue use of place 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 place data could reveal details such as religious beliefs, political leanings, health conditions and sexual orientation.
The DPC launched its inquiry six years ago and set out to find out whether Google had a valid legal basis for its use of place data.
“Place data can bring both benefits and harms to people.”
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) based its complaint on research by the Forbrukerrådet, the Norwegian consumer agency, which claimed Google used “various tricks” to ensure place history and web and app activity were enabled.
The DPC inquiry looked at “web and app activity”, “location history” and “location accuracy” between 25 May 2018 and 4 February 2020.
“As a result of Google’s failures in this regard, people could have been unaware that their place was being used to, for example, influence them with ads or to infer their interests, and could lose control over their personal data.”