Google, Facebook Face $235 Million Fine In France Over Cookie Tracking

Both tech giants will be fined another 100,000 euros per day if they do not resolve the issues within three months of the CNIL decision being issued

In December 2020, the French regulator fined Amazon and Google 35 million euros and 100 million euros, respectively, for cookie violations under the e-Privacy rules. Image: Getty

San Francisco: Google and Facebook are facing a combined $235 million fine for cookie tracking in France, the media reported.

According to a report in Politico citing a document, the French watchdog Commission Nationale de I'informatique et Des Libertes (CNIL) is planning to fine Google 150 million euros and Facebook 60 million euros for violating French data privacy rules.

The action is being taken "for failing to allow French users to easily reject cookie tracking technology", the report said late on Wednesday.

Both tech giants will be fined another 100,000 euros per day if they do not resolve the issues within three months of the CNIL decision being issued.

"We are reviewing the authority's decision and remain committed to working with relevant authorities," a Meta spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report.

"Our cookie consent controls provide people with greater control over their data, including a new settings menu on Facebook and Instagram where people can revisit and manage their decisions at any time, and we continue to develop and improve these controls," the spokesperson added.

Google did not comment on the report.

It is not the first time that the French privacy regulator has fined Big Tech.

In December 2020, the CNIL fined Amazon and Google 35 million euros and 100 million euros, respectively, for cookie violations under the e-Privacy rules.

The watchdog had also fined Google 50 million euros under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

WhatsApp was hit with a 225 million euros fine in September last year "for not being transparent about how it shared data with its parent company", reports ZDNet.

Facebook is also facing millions in fines for violating GDPR privacy rules about deceptive data collection policies.