France fines Amazon, Google for breaching data laws

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) – French officials on Thursday announced fines totaling €135 million ($163.4 million) on tech giants Amazon and Google for breaching data protection laws.

Amazon Europe Core was fined €35 million ($42.4 million), while Google LLC and Google Ireland Ltd. were fined €60 million ($72.65 million) and €40 million ($48.4 million), respectively, said France’s National Commission on Informatics and Liberty.

The firms were charged with installing cookies (small tracking markers) without users’ prior consent as well as a lack of information provided to the users of their branded search engines.

In recent years, lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic have targeted global tech giants, including Facebook and others, for a range of alleged offenses, including anti-competitive behavior and privacy law breaches.