Google Ireland Ltd – €100,000,000 Fine (France, 2020)

€100,000,000Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés7 December 2020France
final
ePrivacy
Fine

France's data protection authority fined Google 100 million euros for placing cookies on users' devices without consent. The CNIL found that Google failed to provide clear information and didn't offer a straightforward way to reject cookies. This case underscores the importance of obtaining user consent for cookies and providing easy opt-out options.

What happened

Google placed cookies on users' devices without obtaining their consent and didn't provide an easy way to reject them.

Who was affected

Users visiting the google.fr website who had cookies placed on their devices without clear consent options.

What the authority found

The CNIL ruled that Google violated cookie consent rules by not providing clear information and lacking a straightforward reject option.

Why this matters

This ruling emphasizes the necessity for companies to obtain explicit consent for cookies and make opting out simple. It serves as a reminder for businesses to review their cookie policies to ensure compliance with privacy laws.

GDPR Articles Cited

AI-verified

Art. 4(7) GDPR
Art. 5(3) ePrivacy Directive GDPR
Art. 56 GDPR
Art. 60 GDPR
Art. 82 Loi Informatique et Libertés GDPR
Art. 26(1) GDPR
View original scraped data
Art. 4(7) GDPR
Art. 26(1) GDPR
Art. 56 GDPR
Art. 60 GDPR
Art. 82 Loi Informatique et Libertés
Art. 5(3) ePrivacy Directive

Original data from scraper before AI verification against source document.

National Law Articles

AI-identified

Loi n° 78-17 du 6 janvier 1978 relative à l'informatique, aux fichiers et aux libertés

Entities Involved

Google Ireland Ltd
Google LLC
Source verified 4 March 2026
national law identified
entity split needed
France enforcementCommission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés actionsAll Google Ireland Ltd actions
Full Legal Summary
Detailed

Google placed cookies before obtaining user consent and provided unclear information about cookie use.

Violations (5)

No Reject Button
critical

Cookie banner does not provide a clear reject/refuse all button at the same level as the accept button.

Art. 7 GDPR

Reject Harder Than Accept
critical

Refusing cookies requires more clicks or steps than accepting them, or the reject option is less visually prominent.

Art. 7 GDPR

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

Cookies Persist After Rejection
critical

Tracking cookies remain active or are re-placed even after the user explicitly rejects them.

Art. 6(1) 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

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.

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Details

Fine Date

7 December 2020

Authority

Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés

Fine Amount

€100,000,000

GDPRhub ID

gdprhub-2992

Sources

About this data

Data: GDPRhub (noyb.eu)
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
AI-verified and classified
Cookie relevance: 100%

Cite as: Cookie Fines. Google Ireland Ltd - France (2020). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu

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