Overview

• CNIL found both companies set advertising cookies without free and informed consent, while Google also showed ads between Gmail messages without prior approval.
• The Google penalties were split between €200 million for Google LLC and €125 million for Google Ireland, with orders to stop Gmail interstitial ads without consent and to obtain valid consent during account creation.
• Regulators cited the scale of impact, noting roughly 53 million Gmail users were exposed to inbox ads and that Shein’s site placed cookies on about 12 million monthly users in France.
• Shein said it has updated systems and will appeal the decision, and Google said it is reviewing the ruling, as CNIL noted Google’s prior cookie fines in 2020 and 2021 when assessing negligence.
• Political stakes surfaced in coverage, with reports saying the sanctions could draw President Donald Trump’s ire over EU actions against U.S. tech firms, even as CNIL fined both an American and a Chinese company.