The CNIL imposes heavy fines on Google and Facebook for their cookies

The National Commission for Informatics and Liberties (CNIL), the gendarme of personal data, imposed heavy fines of 150 million and 60 million euros respectively on Google and Facebook for their practices in terms of cookies, these digital tracers used in particular for targeted advertising, she announced Thursday, January 6.

The amount of the fine owed by Google is a record for the sanctions imposed by the guardian of the digital privacy of the French. In December 2020, she had inflicted a fine of 100 million euros to Google, already on the subject of cookies.

“The CNIL noted that the Facebook.com sites [et] Google FR “ do not allow cookies to be refused “As simply” than accepting them, she explained. “Several clicks are necessary to refuse all cookies”. To add to the confusion, the button added by Facebook to refuse trackers is called the same “Accept cookies”, she denounced. Platforms have three months to become compliant, failing which “The companies will each have to pay a fine of 100,000 euros per day of delay”.

Consent of Internet users

Google has announced a change in its practices, following the CNIL’s decision. “In accordance with the expectations of Internet users, (…) we are committed to implementing new changes, as well as to working actively with the CNIL in response to its decision, within the framework of the directive [européenne] ePrivacy “, assured the American giant.

Cookies are small computer files installed by websites on the terminals of their visitors, for technical or targeted advertising purposes. In particular, they allow the agencies to track the user’s browsing, in order to be able to send them personalized advertising related to their areas of interest. They are regularly denounced for the breaches of the privacy of Internet users that they may cause.

Since the entry into force of the European regulation on personal data in 2018, websites have been required to comply with stricter rules to obtain the consent of Internet users before placing their cookies.