If violations are not eliminated within three months, new fines will follow
The French Commission for Informatics and Civil Liberties (CNIL) has issued the largest fine in its history. Google, a member of the Alphabet holding, has been fined € 100 million for violating the French cookie rules. Amazon was fined 50million dollars for the same violation.
Google and Amazon fined in France for violating cookie policy
The regulator found that the French websites of these companies did not ask for prior consent from visitors before cookies – small files that track user behavior on the Internet – were stored on their computers.
Google and Amazon have also failed to provide users with clear information on how they intend to use the collected data and how visitors to their French websites can opt-out of cookies.
The Commission has rejected the companies’ arguments that it has no right to fine them because their European headquarters are located in Ireland and Luxembourg – countries that are considered more loyal to American tech giants.
According to the CNIL decision, 60 million euros of the fine imposed on Google must be paid by the American company Google LLC, and the rest by the EU-based company Google Ireland Limited. Amazon’s fine must be paid in full by its Luxembourg subsidiary.
According to CNIL, the companies have three months to clear up the violations. If they fail to do so, they will face an additional € 100,000 fine per day until they bring their activities into line with the rules.
