Google inflicts a staggering 50 million euros fine in France for GDPR failures – AZERTAC

Baku, January 23, AZERTAC

In France, a fine of 50 million euros has been imposed on Google for data protection issues, particularly with regard to the processing of personal data for advertising services, according to Daily Mirror.

The CNIL, the French commission for the control of abuses of data privacy laws, claims that Google has not obtained a valid authorization for the use of personal data. He says that the information people need to make informed choices is hidden in complex agreements and is "diluted in several documents and does not allow the user to become aware of their scope".

The commission also stated that Google's information on advertising personalization does not clearly indicate how and where these data are used for its services. These can include YouTube, Google Search, Maps, Google Play and other services.

The CNIL accepts that users can modify the options and configure the display of ads. However, it also says that this does not mean that the GDPR is respected.

Crucially, the options for modifying ad customization are hidden and checked by default – which goes against the requirement of the DPRP that consent is given in a clear and unambiguous way.

For example, under GDPR, users must check a box that lists them in an e-mail newsletter, rather than unchecking a box.

"The offenses deprive users of essential safeguards with respect to treatments that may reveal important aspects of their privacy because they rely on an enormous amount of data," the regulator said.

The fine, although voluminous, is certainly not the biggest product by Google. In 2018, the EU was sentenced to a historic fine of 3.8 billion pounds sterling for "serious illegal behavior".

In this case, the EU claimed that Google was abusing its market dominance by requiring phone manufacturers offering its web browser and search service on their devices, otherwise Google Play Store access to them would be refused.

Google's commercial service was also accused of skewing the market in 2017 and was fined £ 2.1 billion.