The French CNIL data protection body fined 325 million euros, which is about $ 381 million. Violations are due to the fact that Gmail users showed advertising between letters, as well as used advertising cookies without their consent.
The regulator found that when creating new accounts, Google automatically connected tracking tools for advertising. At the same time, users did not give confirmation of the use of such technologies.
Cnil ordered the company to change the work of the services within six months. In particular, advertising in Gmail should not be displayed without prior consent, and when registering an account, the user must allow the use of advertising trackers himself. Otherwise, Google and its Irish unit are facing a fine of 100 thousand euros for each day of delay.
The company said that they are studying the decision of the French authorities. Representatives noted that users could always manage an advertisement display in Google products. It was also said that over the past two years, changes have been made: when registering an account, it became possible to abandon personalized advertising, and the method of displaying advertising messages was changed in Gmail.
