EU: Google Fined 403 Million Euros for Processing Geolocation Data
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Google €403 million for GDPR breaches relating to the processing of users’ location data. The investigation, opened in 2020 following complaints from European consumer organizations, examined in particular Google’s “Web & App Activity”, “Location History” and “Location Accuracy” features. The DPC found that users were not sufficiently informed about how their location data could be used, including for advertising purposes and to infer their interests. The regulator also considered that Google’s practices could undermine users’ control over their personal data. Google stated that it had significantly updated its approach to location data since 2019. > Read the article
Investigation into illegal taking of interests: dismissal of proceedings requested for Alexis Kohler
The French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) announced on 23 September 2026 that it had requested a dismissal of proceedings in favor of Alexis Kohler, former Secretary General of the French Presidency from 2017 to 2025, who has been under investigation since 2022 for illegal taking of interests. He is accused of having taken part, in his capacity as a senior civil servant, in decisions concerning the shipping company MSC, with which he has family ties. In July, the Paris Court of Appeal ruled that the alleged facts predating 2014 were time-barred, narrowing the scope of the case. The anti-corruption organization Anticor, which is a civil party to the proceedings, criticized this request as well as Emmanuel Macron’s involvement in the matter, pointing in particular to the letter of support sent by the President to the PNF in 2019. > Read the article.
Mahamat Said Abdel Kani found guilty of crimes against humanity committed in the Central African Republic
On 23 September 2026, Trial Chamber VI of the International Criminal Court found Mahamat Said Abdel Kani guilty of crimes against humanity committed in the Central African Republic in 2013. As the Séléka commander in charge of the Central Office for the Repression of Banditry (OCRB) in Bangui, he was convicted as a direct co-perpetrator of imprisonment, torture, persecution and other inhumane acts, constituting crimes against humanity, carried out between April and August 2013. The war crimes charges were not upheld. The presiding judge highlighted the lasting physical and psychological harm suffered by victims. Parties have 30 days to appeal. The sentence will be determined at a later stage, and reparations proceedings for the victims will be initiated. The trial, which opened in 2022, involved 130 hearings, during which 61 witnesses were heard. > Read the article.
Alicher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, two oligarchs known to be close to Vladimir Putin, have avoided European sanctions, sparking frustration within the EU
EU Member States have renewed the sanctions regime targeting nearly 3,000 individuals and entities linked to Russia, while deciding to remove Alicher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list of sanctioned persons. The delisting of Alicher Usmanov, requested by France on the grounds of “national security”, has drawn strong criticism in Ukraine and in Brussels. Luxembourg likewise secured the lifting of sanctions against Mikhail Fridman, owner of Alfa Group, with whom it is in dispute in international arbitration proceedings involving a claim of USD 16 billion. In addition, the sanctions review period has been extended from six months to three years. > Read the article
