France: CNIL issues fine against Facebook for cookie practices

On 30 December 2021, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) issued a fine of EUR 60 million against Facebook for failure to comply with cookie requirements. The CNIL had previously sent out compliance orders to companies in violation of cookie requirements. The CNIL stated that on the website 'facebook.com' it was more difficult for users to refuse than to accept cookies. CNIL also adopted an injunction requiring Facebook to make its cookie banners compliant with the legal requirements for users in France within three months, with a further fine of EUR100,000 per day after missing the deadline. The fine amount was justified, CNIL states because Facebook profits greatly from advertising based on the data it collects through cookies.