Overview

• CNIL says both companies collected advertising cookies without freely given, informed consent and failed to provide adequate information or an effective withdrawal mechanism.
• Google is also penalized for inserting banner ads inside Gmail for users of “smart features,” a practice deemed direct marketing that affected 53 million people in France without prior opt-in.
• The regulator faults a Google account-creation cookie wall as insufficiently informed, rendering user consent invalid even though the practice itself is not unlawful in this context.
• Google must remedy the breaches within six months or face €100,000 per day in penalties for both Google LLC and Google Ireland, and both companies have four months to appeal.
• Shein says it will challenge the decision before the Conseil d’État and the EU Court of Justice, argues the fine is disproportionate, and has already implemented technical corrections since inspections.