France imposes a fine of $ 238 million on Google and Facebook

On Thursday, the French data protection regulator imposed fines of 150 million euros ($170 million) and 60 million euros ($68 million) on Google and Facebook, respectively.

According to Forebs, this came after the two companies failed to provide Internet users with an easy way to disable online trackers, in contravention of European privacy laws.

The authority said in a statement that Facebook, Google and YouTube offered a button allowing users to accept cookies immediately, but did not provide a similar button to easily decline them.

She added that the process of rejecting online trackers was several steps longer.

She noted that this process affects users’ freedom of consent as it affects their choice to accept or decline cookies.
The two companies are also obligated to update their interface for French users – making it easier for them to refuse cookies – within 3 months.

The fines against Google and Facebook follow a series of similar regulatory actions facing tech giants in the US, including Apple and Amazon in Europe.

In December 2020, similar fines were imposed on Google and Amazon for handling cookies on the site to track user activities without seeking proper consent.

It is reported that last year, regulators in France, the United Kingdom and the European Union launched formal antitrust investigations for the online advertising business.

According to the European Union data protection law, which came into force in May 2018, the powers of privacy protection bodies have been significantly increased, since under the law serious breaches of privacy can lead to fines of up to 4% of the company’s annual global revenue.