Google faces another probe in the European Union over concerns the company’s processing of user location data could violate the bloc’s tough privacy rules.

"The issues raised within the concerns relate to the legality of Google’s processing of location data and the transparency surrounding that processing,” the Irish Data Protection Commission said in a statement on Feb 4.

The probe adds to more than 20 investigations by the Irish authority into big tech companies, including Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc and Apple Inc. The two most advanced cases concern WhatsApp’s transparency around data sharing with Facebook and its wider group of companies, and a probe into Twitter following a breach reported to the regulator in January 2018, Helen Dixon, the Irish privacy chief, said in an interview November.

The latest investigation into Alphabet Inc-owned Google follows a series of complaints in 2018 from consumer associations, accusing the company of collecting data that can reveal a lot more about its users than just their location, such as their political leanings or sexual orientation.

The Irish watchdog last year opened another probe into Google and how the search giant processes user data in advertising transactions. It’s trying to determine whether Google’s practices are in line with EU strict privacy laws, which mandate transparency and the minimization of data collection. That investigation is continuing, despite Google announcing changes to its advertising technology to better protect people’s privacy.

The Irish authority on Tuesday also opened a separate probe into popular dating app Tinder.

New EU rules in force across the bloc since May 2018 have increased the pressure on US technology companies such as Google and Facebook, which have often faced the scrutiny of European regulators over privacy shortcomings. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, gives EU regulators for the first time the same powers to reprimand and fine wrongdoers as much as 4% of global annual sales.

 - Bloomberg