Google has been fined €403 million by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), the European Union's lead privacy regulator for the company, over violations related to the processing of users' location data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The DPC said its investigation, covering the period from 25 May 2018 to 4 February 2020, concluded that Google failed to comply with the GDPR's principles of lawfulness, fairness and transparency in the way it processed users' location information.

The inquiry was launched following complaints submitted by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and several national consumer groups.

According to the regulator, Google did not adequately demonstrate that the processing of location data through its Web & App Activity, Location History and Device Location Accuracy features complied with EU data protection rules. The company was also found to have failed to provide users with sufficiently clear information about how their location data was collected and processed.

In addition to the €403 million administrative fine, the DPC ordered Google to bring its data processing practices into compliance with the GDPR within six months.

As Google's European headquarters are located in Ireland, the DPC serves as the company's lead supervisory authority for privacy matters across the European Union.

Google said it disagrees with the decision and is reviewing the ruling, including the possibility of an appeal.

The ruling marks another major GDPR enforcement action against the US technology giant as European regulators continue to scrutinize the handling of personal data by major digital platforms.(ILKHA)