Amazon Europe Core – €35,000,000 Fine (France, 2020)

€35,000,000Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés7 December 2020France
final
ePrivacy
Fine

Amazon Europe Core was fined €35 million by the French data protection authority for placing cookies on users' computers without their consent. The company failed to provide clear information about the cookies. This case emphasizes the need for websites to obtain user consent before using tracking technologies.

What happened

Amazon Europe Core placed cookies on users' computers without obtaining their consent.

Who was affected

Users visiting amazon.fr who had cookies placed on their computers without consent.

What the authority found

The French data protection authority ruled that Amazon violated French data protection law and the ePrivacy Directive by placing cookies without user consent.

Why this matters

This case highlights the importance of obtaining user consent for cookies and providing clear information about data practices. It serves as a warning for companies operating in multiple countries to comply with local data protection laws.

GDPR Articles Cited

AI-verified

Art. 6 GDPR
Art. 9 GDPR
Art. 5(3) ePrivacy Directive GDPR
Art. 82 Loi Informatique et Libertés GDPR
Art. 83 GDPR
Art. 94 GDPR
View original scraped data
Art. 6 GDPR
Art. 9 GDPR
Art. 83 GDPR
Art. 94 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

Ordonnance n° 2014-1329 du 6 novembre 2014 relative aux délibérations à distance des instances administratives à caractère collégial
loi no 78-17 du 6 janvier 1978 relative à l'informatique, aux fichiers et aux libertés
Source verified 4 March 2026
articles corrected
national law identified
Full Legal Summary
Detailed

Amazon Europe Core was fined for placing non-essential cookies on users' devices before obtaining consent and failing to properly inform users about the use of cookies.

Violations (2)

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

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

Details

Fine Date

7 December 2020

Authority

Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés

Fine Amount

€35,000,000

GDPRhub ID

gdprhub-2991

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. Amazon Europe Core - France (2020). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu

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