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Data watchdog opening Google and Tinder probes

Ireland’s data watchdog has launched separate investigations into search engine Google, and the company behind the dating platform Tinder.

The inquiries, which follow complaints from individuals and consumer groups, are linked to the companies’ obligations under the EU’s GDPR rules on data privacy.

Complaints

In a statement on its website, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) said it had received complaints from a number of consumer organisations across the EU about how Google processed location data.

The DPC will now look at whether Google Ireland Limited has a valid legal basis for processing its users’ location data, and whether it meets the relevant transparency obligations.

Tinder

A separate statement from the commission said it had also identified a number of issues following complaints from people in Ireland and across the EU about how Tinder’s parent company, MTCH Technology Services Limited, was processing its users’ personal information.

The watchdog will now examine whether MTCH has a legal basis for processing personal data from Tinder users, and whether it is meeting its obligations to be transparent and comply with requests from people to see the data held on them.

The DPC in Ireland is the main regulator for many multinational technology companies whose European headquarters are located here.