TWO SEPARATE INQUIRIES have been launched into Google and Tinder by the Data Protection Commission over legal concerns.

The statutory inquires relate to concerns over the legality of each company’s processing of user data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The DPC said it has received several complaints from consumer organisations in the EU raising concerns over Google’s processing of location data. 

The concerns were about the legality and transparency of this processing. 

The inquiry wants to establish whether the company has a valid legal basis for processing location data from users, and whether Google meets its obligations about transparency. 

A spokesperson from Google told TheJournal.ie that the company will “cooperate fully” with the DPC in its inquiry. 

“People should be able to understand and control how companies like Google use location data to provide services to them,” the spokesperson said.

“In the last year, we have made a number of product changes to improve the level of user transparency and control over location data.”  

In terms of the dating app Tinder, the DPC said it has been “actively monitoring” complaints about the app since the GDPR came into effect in May 2018. 

Issues raised by people across the EU showed issues relating to the transparency of processing users’ data. 

The DPC will seek to determine whether the company has legal basis for processing this data and whether it meets its obligations in terms of transparency and compliance with the GDPR. 

Match Group, which owns Tinder, said in a statement: “Transparency and protecting our users’ personal data is of utmost importance to us. We are fully cooperating with the Data Protection Commission, and will continue to abide by GDPR and all applicable laws.”