France slams $169 million on Google for cookie breaches
The French data privacy watchdog CNIL said on Thursday it had fined Alphabet’s Google 150 million euros which is the equivalent of $169 million for making it difficult for internet users to refuse cookies which are a form of online trackers. Meta’s Facebook was also affected as it was also fined 60 million euros for the same reason.
The CNIL said the two companies had three months to comply with its orders or face an extra penalty payment of 100,000 euros per day of delay.
The watchdog said in a statement that it had found that the facebook.com, google.fr, and youtube.com websites didn’t allow the refusal of cookies easily.
Internet users’ prior consent for the use of cookies — tiny snippets of data that help build targeted digital ad campaigns — is a key pillar of the European Union’s data privacy regulation and a top priority for the CNIL.
These include the obligation for Google and Facebook to provide French internet users simpler tools for refusing cookies, in order to guarantee their consent.
The CNIL said that while Google and Facebook provided a virtual button to allow the immediate acceptance of cookies, there was no equivalent to refuse them as easily.
Karin Kiefer, CNIL’s head for data protection and sanctions said: “When you accept cookies, it’s done in just one click. Rejecting cookies should be as easy as accepting them”.
“People trust us to respect their right to privacy and keep them safe. We understand our responsibility to protect that trust and are committing to further changes and active work with the CNIL in light of this decision,” a Google spokesperson said.
In 2020, the CNIL strengthened consent rights over ad trackers, saying websites operating in France should keep a register of internet users’ refusal to accept cookies for at least six months. It also said internet users should be able to easily reconsider any initial agreement concerning cookies via a web link or an icon that should be visible on all the website pages.
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