CRITEO – €40,000,000 Fine (France, 2023)

€40,000,000Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés15 June 2023France
final
Fine

General GDPR enforcement action

This case relates to broader data protection obligations, not specifically to cookie or consent banner compliance. It is not included in cookie statistics or the Risk Calculator.

France's data protection authority fined CRITEO €40 million for tracking users without their consent. This matters because it shows that companies must be clear about how they collect and use personal data. Website operators should ensure they have proper consent mechanisms in place.

What happened

CRITEO tracked users across the internet using cookies without obtaining valid consent.

Who was affected

Internet users whose browsing behavior was tracked by CRITEO's advertising tools.

What the authority found

The authority found that CRITEO failed to prove users had consented to be tracked, violating GDPR rules on consent and transparency.

Why this matters

This case highlights the responsibility of companies to obtain clear consent from users for tracking. It sets a precedent that could impact how online advertising practices are regulated in the future.

GDPR Articles Cited

AI-verified

Art. 12(GDPR)
Art. 13(GDPR)
Art. 26(GDPR)
Art. 7(1) GDPR
Art. 15(1) GDPR
Art. 17(1) GDPR
View original scraped data
Art. 7(1) GDPR
(3) GDPR
Art. 12(GDPR)
Art. 13(GDPR)
Art. 15(1) GDPR
Art. 17(1) GDPR
Art. 26(GDPR)

Original data from scraper before AI verification against source document.

Source verified 2 April 2026
articles corrected
Full Legal Summary
Detailed

Insufficient fulfilment of data subjects rights

Violations (4)

Cookies Placed Before Consent
critical

Non-essential cookies (tracking, advertising) are placed on the user's device before obtaining valid consent.

Art. 6(1) GDPR

Third-Party Cookies Without Consent
critical

Third-party tracking cookies or scripts are loaded without obtaining prior user consent.

Art. 13, 14 GDPR

Unclear Cookie Information
high

The cookie banner or cookie policy provides vague, incomplete, or unclear information about what cookies are used and why.

Art. 12, 13 GDPR

Cannot Withdraw Cookie Consent
critical

No accessible mechanism exists for users to withdraw previously given cookie consent.

Art. 7(3) GDPR

Related Enforcement Actions (0)

No other enforcement actions found for CRITEO in FR

This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.

Details

Fine Date

15 June 2023

Authority

Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés

Fine Amount

€40,000,000

Enforcement Tracker ID

1912

About this data

Data: CMS GDPR Enforcement Tracker
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
AI-verified and classified

Cite as: Cookie Fines. CRITEO - France (2023). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu

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