December 10, 2020 The French data authority, CNIL, has fined Google and Amazon after investigations revealed that the tech giants were placing cookies on their websites, without the consent of consumers. In two orders, the CNIL placed a €100 million ($120 million) penalty on Google LLC and Google Ireland, and a €35 million ($42 million) on Amazon Europe. Websites use cookies primarily to collect information about users and can be used for targeted advertising. Both Google and Amazon were found to be in breach of the French Data Protect Act, in terms of pushing cookies prior to the consent of their users and poor transparency in explaining the functions of various cookies. Previously, in January 2019 the CNIL fined Google $57 million for failing transparency requirements under the European Unions’ General Data Protection Regulation.