France fines Google, Amazon $160M for using 'cookies' without consent By (0) "We stand by our record of providing upfront information and clear controls, strong internal data governance, secure infrastructure and above all, helpful products," Google said in a response to its fine. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Dec. 10 (UPI) -- France's data protection agency said Thursday it has fined U.S. tech giants Google and Amazon a combined $160 million for using tracking "cookies" without users' consent. France's National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) announced a fine of $120 million for Google and $42.4 million for Amazon. Advertisement The commission said investigators found over the past year that both companies automatically deployed cookies -- small pieces of tracking data that are stored on a user's computer when they visit a website -- without consent, a violation of France's Data Protection Act.