GPS Tracking in 2026: Rules That Changed Everything for Field Teams

GPS in business is no longer a choice: it’s a responsibility

Tracking employees via GPS is nothing new. Field service companies have been doing it for years — some with advanced systems, others with improvised solutions. But in 2026 the situation has changed significantly: the Data Protection Authority has updated its guidelines on monitoring workers via mobile devices and geolocation systems, and ignoring them exposes companies to concrete sanctions.

The point is not whether you can track: it’s how. And this “how” has become much more precise. Companies that use apps for attendance management, job verification or route control must now navigate a regulatory framework that balances legitimate business needs and workers’ rights. And the line is thin.

What the Authority says: the key points of 2026

The updated guidelines of the Data Protection Authority move along three main directions, all of which must be understood before activating any GPS tracking system for workers.

Proportionate and declared purposes. GPS tracking is only lawful if the purpose is legitimate and proportionate: workplace safety, verification of service execution, route optimisation. Continuous monitoring without a specific reason is not lawful. This means an app that records location every minute throughout the working day may be challenged, while one that activates tracking only during jobs, with informed consent, is generally compliant.

Mandatory employee disclosure. Simply mentioning tracking in the employment contract is not enough. The employee must receive a clear, detailed and understandable notice about what data is collected, for how long it is retained, who has access to it and for what purposes. The notice must be updated every time the system or purpose of processing changes.

Union agreement or Labour Inspectorate authorisation. For employers with more than 15 employees, the use of tools that allow remote monitoring of workers — and GPS tracking clearly falls into this category — requires an agreement with company union representatives or authorisation from the Labour Inspectorate. This obligation, already required by the Workers’ Statute, is now applied with greater rigour.

The concrete risk for non-compliant SMEs

GDPR sanctions for unlawful processing of personal data can reach up to 4% of global annual revenue, or €20 million. For an SME with a few employees, even the minimum amount can be devastating. But the risk is not only economic: a union challenge over a non-compliant tracking system can block business operations, open disputes and create a difficult precedent.

In 2025 the Authority issued several measures against medium-sized companies using clock-in apps with geolocation without completing the regulatory process. Sanctions imposed ranged between €15,000 and €90,000, depending on the severity and duration of the violation.

The paradox: giving up GPS out of fear of regulations is wrong

Faced with this complexity, many entrepreneurs react in the wrong way: they stop tracking, or continue doing it informally hoping no one checks. Both choices are wrong. Not tracking means going back ten years, exposing yourself to disputes about services rendered, losing the ability to demonstrate your teams’ operational activity. Tracking informally, without agreements or disclosures, is worse than not tracking at all.

The right path is to adopt tools that are compliant by design. Systems that collect only necessary data, retain it for strictly necessary time, provide the worker with full visibility on what is recorded, and operate in compliance with regulatory obligations. This approach not only protects the company from regulatory sanctions, but also strengthens the trust relationship with employees — a value that cannot be measured in numbers but is felt every day in the field.

If you manage a service company and want to understand how to track your operators’ work legally, transparently and usefully for the business, discover how GeoTapp was designed with compliance at the centre. Not a bureaucratic add-on: a concrete competitive advantage.