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Apps from Google and Facebook on a smartphone
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DENIS CHARLET / AFP
France's data protection authority has fined Google and Facebook millions of euros.
In a statement published on Thursday by the CNIL (Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés) it is said that users on the websites of the two companies have been made more difficult to refuse the use of cookies than to accept them.
Google should therefore pay a total of 150 million euros.
In the case of Facebook, it is 60 million euros.
Cookies are small data sets that websites store on visitors' computers in order to be able to recognize them more quickly later.
With their help, individual profiles can be created that allow far-reaching conclusions about surfing behavior, preferences and lifestyle.
This knowledge is then used, for example, for personalized advertising.
The CNIL complained that on google.fr, facebook.com and youtube.com cookies could be accepted with just one click, but several clicks would be necessary to reject them.
The decision in favor of accepting cookies is distorted.
This affects the freedom of consent and violates French law.
The platform operators now have three months to adjust the way in which they enable users to accept or reject cookies in France.
For every day of delay, a fine of 100,000 euros would be due.
France repeatedly imposed record fines
"We are reviewing the authority's decision and will continue to work with the relevant authorities," said a spokeswoman for the Facebook parent company Meta.
In addition, Facebook's "mechanisms for cookie consent give people more control over their data, including a new settings menu on Facebook and Instagram where people can review and manage their decisions at any time."
A Google spokesman said: “People trust us to respect their right to privacy and to keep them safe.
We are aware of our responsibility to protect this trust and are committed to further changes and to active cooperation with the CNIL «.
France's data protection authority has already sentenced Google to high fines several times.
In January 2019, the company was due to pay 50 million euros due to a lack of transparency.
In December 2020, the company was fined EUR 100 million for handling cookies.
mak / dpa