French data watchdog fines Google, Amazon millions over cookies rules
France’s data privacy regulator CNIL on Thursday said it had fined two Google units a total of €100 million and an Amazon subsidiary €35 million for breaching rules on online trackers.
The regulator said the sites used cookies without prior consent and did not provide people with enough information on their use, and thus breached the French Data Protection Act.
When a user visited a page on Amazon, “a large number of cookies used for advertising purposes was automatically placed on his or her computer, before any action required on his or her part”, the CNIL said in a statement.
It added that Google in September stopped placing cookies on the computers of users without consent, but still does not provide a sufficient explanation of their use.
“In the case of a user visiting the website amazon.fr, the information provided was neither clear nor complete”, the statement said.
The CNIL said the online giants had three months to change the information banners, and if they failed to do so, they would face an additional fine of €100,000 per day until the modifications are made.
