Overview

• France’s data watchdog said Google displayed advertisements among Gmail messages without users’ consent and set advertising cookies during account creation without valid permission.
• Investigators cited a signup “cookie wall” that steered users toward tracking, finding the resulting consent neither free nor informed under French and EU law.
• The breaches affected more than 74 million Google accounts in France, with 53 million people shown the contested ads in Gmail’s Promotions and Social tabs.
• The €325 million sanction was split between Google LLC (€200 million) and Google Ireland (€125 million), and Google faces additional daily fines if it misses the six‑month compliance deadline.
• Shein’s Irish unit was fined €150 million for placing cookies without consent, providing incomplete notices, and offering ineffective refusal options; Shein says it updated its systems and will appeal, while Google says it is reviewing the decision.