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Google slapped with $57m fine for violating rules

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Google slapped with $57m fine for violating rules

French regulators hit Google with a $57 million fine for violating GDPR rules that took effect last May by being less than upfront about how user data is collected and used.

French data privacy agency CNIL levied the fine, the first against a U.S. company since GDPR took effect last spring, noting that Google; “Essential information, such as the data processing purposes, the data storage periods or the categories of personal data used for the ads personalization, are excessively disseminated across several documents, with buttons and links on which it is required to click to access complementary information.,” CNIL said in a statement.

“The relevant information is accessible after several steps only, implying sometimes up to five or six actions. For instance, this is the case when a user wants to have a complete information on his or her data collected for the personalization purposes or for the geo-tracking service.”

Read also: Zuckerberg’s Facebook to face record fine over privacy violations

The agency also said Google didn’t get proper consent from users to show them personalized ads.

“It is high time to show the Internet companies that the lawmakers were serious about strengthening the right to privacy,” said Dr.-IngMarc Al-Hames, managing director of Cliqz GmbH, noting that without consequencesGDPR would become nothing more than a paper tiger.

“To start with Google is absolutely right because its parent company Alphabet is by far the most important data monopolist. With Google search, the Android operating system, the Play Store app sales platform and the Chrome browser, the Internet giant is raising behavioral profiles in alarming detail above virtually everyone in theWestern world and using them for advertising purposes.”

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