Google Ireland Ltd. – €60,000,000 Fine (France, 2021)
On December 31, 2021, Google Ireland Ltd. was fined EUR 60 million by France's CNIL for complicating the process of rejecting cookies. Users could easily accept cookies but faced multiple steps to refuse them. This ruling emphasizes the need for clear consent options for users.
What happened
Google made it difficult for users to reject cookies on its websites, requiring several clicks to do so.
Who was affected
Visitors to google.fr and youtube.com in France who were tracked by cookies.
What the authority found
The CNIL determined that Google's cookie consent process violated French data protection laws by prioritizing acceptance over rejection.
Why this matters
This case sets a precedent for how companies must design their cookie consent mechanisms. Website operators should review their processes to ensure users can easily refuse tracking.
National Law Articles
Insufficient legal basis for data processing
Violations (2)
Cookie banner does not provide a clear reject/refuse all button at the same level as the accept button.
Art. 7 GDPR
Refusing cookies requires more clicks or steps than accepting them, or the reject option is less visually prominent.
Art. 7 GDPR
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for Google Ireland Ltd. in FR
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Similar Cases
Enforcement actions with similar violations
Details
Fine Date
31 December 2021
Authority
Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés
Fine Amount
€60,000,000
Enforcement Tracker ID
979
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Google Ireland Ltd. - France (2021). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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