Finance
France hits Google with $381 million fine for consumer protection failures
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 4, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 4, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
France fines Google $381M for displaying Gmail ads without consent. CNIL mandates compliance within six months or face daily penalties.
PARIS (Reuters) -France's data protection authority said on Wednesday it had fined Alphabet's Google 325 million euros ($381 million) for improperly displaying ads to Gmail users and using cookies, both without Google account users' consent.
The Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) also gave Google six months to ensure ads are no longer displayed between emails in Gmail users' inboxes without prior consent, and that users give valid consent to the creation of a Google account for the placement of ad trackers.
Failing that, Google and its Irish subsidiary would both have to pay a penalty of 100,000 euros per day of delay, CNIL said in a statement.
A Google spokesperson said the company was reviewing the decision and said that users have always been able to control the ads they see in their products.
In the past two years, Google has made updates to address the commission's concerns, including an easy way to decline personalised ads when creating a Google account, and changes to the way ads are presented in Gmail, the spokesperson said.
($1 = 0.8542 euros)
(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Additional reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonali Paul)
France's data protection authority fined Google 325 million euros, which is approximately $381 million.
The CNIL mandated Google to stop displaying ads between emails in Gmail users' inboxes without prior consent within six months.
If Google fails to comply, it could incur a penalty of 100,000 euros per day of delay.
A Google spokesperson stated that the company is reviewing the decision and emphasized that users can control the ads they see.
In the past two years, Google has implemented updates, including an easier way for users to decline personalized ads when creating a Google account.
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