French Regulators Fine Google, Facebook Over Tracking Consent

JAKARTADAILY.ID - Google and Facebook were fined by French regulators for making it difficult for users to opt-out of online tracking.

As reported by AP News on Thursday (January 6, 2022), Google must pay a fine of 150 million Euro (USD 170 million), while Facebook of 60 million Euro (USD 68 million).

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Based on the investigations conducted by The Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL) data privacy watchdog, both Google and Facebook provided French users a single button to immediately accept Cookies, but no such button to refuse them. Instead, they need to click several buttons, making it confusing and tedious.

'Cookies' is the term that refers to snippets of code used to target internet users for ADS and other purposes, which the European government has stricter regulations on. Websites are required to ask for permission before a user's activity can be tracked. Thus, users will face pop-up menus every time they visit a new website.

However, visitors to Facebook and Google's French homepage were pushed to click yes. The CNIL considered it as "a violation of French data protection rules".

If within three months, the websites do not simplify the option for French users, the companies will be punished with daily penalties of 100,000 euros.

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Responding to the penalty, Facebook, which has been renamed Meta, said it will review the decision, while continuously working with authorities to "provide people with greater control over their data".

A similar statement was also released by Google, as it highlighted the trust users put on the company to respect their right to privacy.

"We understand our responsibility to protect that trust and are committing to further changes and active work with the CNIL in light of this decision,” said Google.