This archive report was first published on 6 January 2022.
January 6, 2022, marked a significant milestone in the European Union's efforts to protect user data as France's National Commission for Information Technology and Freedom (CNIL) imposed massive fines on Google and Facebook for their cookie practices.
The CNIL fined Google a record 150 million euros, surpassing a previous cookie-related fine of 100 million euros against the company in December 2020. Facebook was handed a 60-million-euro fine.
According to CNIL, Google, Facebook, and YouTube make it easy for users to consent to cookies via a single button, but rejecting the request requires several clicks, violating the EU's stricter rules on personal data.
CNIL argued that the companies failed to provide users with clear options to refuse cookies, a requirement since the European Union passed a 2018 law on personal data. The commission had given internet companies until April 2021 to adapt to the tighter privacy rules, warning that they would start facing sanctions after that date.
Google has committed to implementing new changes and working actively with CNIL in response to the decision. The company stated, 'In accordance with the expectations of internet users… we are committed to implementing new changes, as well as to working actively with CNIL in response to its decision.'
CNIL has sent 90 formal notices to websites since April, and French newspaper Le Figaro was the first to be sanctioned, receiving a fine of 50,000 euros in July for allowing cookies to be installed by advertising partners without the direct approval of users.
