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Google Fined $57 Million By French Data Privacy Body For Failing To Comply With EU's GDPR Regulations (venturebeat.com)
schwit1 shares a report from VentureBeat: Google has been hit by a $57 million fine by French data privacy body CNIL (National Data Protection Commission) for failure to comply with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulations. The CNIL said that it was fining Google for "lack of transparency, inadequate information and lack of valid consent regarding the ads personalization," according to a press release issued by the organization. The news was first reported by the AFP. What the CNIL is effectively referencing here is dark pattern design, which attempts to encourage users into accepting terms by guiding their choices through the design and layout of the interface. This is something that Facebook has often done too, as it has sought to garner user consent for new features or T&Cs.
It's worth noting here that Google has faced considerable pressure from the EU on a number of fronts over the way it carries out business. Back in July, it was hit with a record $5 billion fine in an Android antitrust case, though it is currently appealing that. A few months back, Google overhauled its Android business model in Europe, electing to charge Android device makers a licensing fee to preinstall its apps in Europe. Google hasn't confirmed what its next steps will be, but it will likely appeal the decision as it has done with other fines. "People expect high standards of transparency and control from us," a Google spokesperson told VentureBeat. "We're deeply committed to meeting those expectations and the consent requirements of the GDPR. We're studying the decision to determine our next steps."
It's worth noting here that Google has faced considerable pressure from the EU on a number of fronts over the way it carries out business. Back in July, it was hit with a record $5 billion fine in an Android antitrust case, though it is currently appealing that. A few months back, Google overhauled its Android business model in Europe, electing to charge Android device makers a licensing fee to preinstall its apps in Europe. Google hasn't confirmed what its next steps will be, but it will likely appeal the decision as it has done with other fines. "People expect high standards of transparency and control from us," a Google spokesperson told VentureBeat. "We're deeply committed to meeting those expectations and the consent requirements of the GDPR. We're studying the decision to determine our next steps."
Soon, the French can pay their people!
Based on that, my next speeding fine should be about $0.27
Corporate fines MUST be based on International turnover (they hide profits too well), or better year a minimum of 12 months in federal prison for all of the Management.
Is a specific country fining Google?
I know it's in to hate google and all tech companies blah blah blah.
But looking at this froma generic point of view, doesn't this open up the door for a company to be destroyed by a partnering of a few countries that want to see the dominating company in a particular field be brought down?
Figured there should be one fine from one single governing board.
You want to do business in a democratic capitalist country? Well, you do your best to comply with its laws, and if your best isn't good enough, you face the consequences of your own behavior.
France needs more money to cope with the fallout of US Middle East wars.
But that has nothing to do with Google violating privacy laws and getting fined for it.
You don't do the crime if you can't pay the fine.
Except that France is not taxing them, but is applying a fine for non-compliance with french data protection laws. If you do business in a country, you have to be prepared to comply with local laws or else pay the penalties that arise.
Even Google agrees with that premise, at least in their official statement.
Like, say, they could pay the taxes for the revenue they make in France instead of squirreling it away with some tax evasion tricks.
Then again, paying the fine is probably cheaper.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Just declare war on them and threaten invasion. They'll surrender.
It's a fine, not a tax. If Google wishes to operate within the E.U. then they have to obey the laws of the E.U.
I reserve the write to mangle english.
Well that's easy then pull out of all EU countries and find out who begs who back first.
pretty sure it will be google begging, They make 10's of billions from doing business there for Ad revenue and don't provide any essential services, others will happily step into the gap should google pull out.
You don't even fucking know what this case is about, so stop being such fucking whiners. Do you like to be fooled by corporations?
If Google has broken the rules, they will have to pay the fine. They operate in Europe and so they must comply. Just like any European company needs to comply to US laws, when they operate in USA.
You don't know the half of it what USA taxing etc. actually cause to people. USA is one of the few (only?) country that tax worldwide etc.
Well that's easy then pull out of all EU countries and find out who begs who back first.
Yeah, go back to California to sulk and leave a market of 500 million potential customers to your competitors that you have poured considerable efforts and money into making sure remain 3rd rate players with marginal market share so they won't threaten your monopoly. On what level does that seem like an intelligent plan to you? Google is about as likely to abandon the EU market as a pig is likely to voluntarily move out of a field of clover.
I have never seen any company that is so aggressive in denying customers their rights under the GDPR. When is the ban or fine coming? It's been taking too long already.
And if they shut off all that advertising, All those companies they carry ads for suddenly see their revenues plummet. All Android phones cease to function. Anyone using the Google DNS servers can't get any DNS services (until they change servers, not difficult but still will have an impact. No Google Search engine, no gmail and other Google services.
Oh it would hurt Google, but getting hit with a few billion here and a few billion there also tends to hurt. And if Google were to lead the way, what's to say other major players wouldn't follow. Apple phones now cease to work, followed by all MacOS devices. FB is offline in Europe. Major Email services go down, for europe. All Windows PC's shut down, Amazon, Twitter, they all pull their services from the EU. Yes it's a fantasy but a concerted effort would be far more painful for Europe than for the companies involved.
If that where not the case, AB InBev, the largest brewer in the world, Heineken an Carlsberg would be selling beer to 16 year olds, like they do in their home counties in the US.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
it's a negotiating tactic. Because at this point when corporations (our defacto Ruling Class) break the law we have to negotiate with them to see how much of the law they will follow. Like a peasant begging it's king for relief.
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Yeah, kinda sad.
Pulling out doesn't mean blocking access to all EU IP addresses. It means shutting down EU subsidiaries, at most. ISPs would then have to decide whether to block google.com or not, but, good luck with that, given how many third party websites load things from Google servers.
The idea that the EU market is so large the EU can pull whatever nonsense it likes is probably going to be tested severely in the coming years. It looks increasingly like a lawless place - GDPR is a classic example of a law that says nothing and everything simultaneously, in which enforcement is entirely political. But there are many other such laws. The idea that the EU is a fair and predictable place to do business is increasingly stressed, and there are plenty of ways to make money from people in it without needing to follow EU law, no more than everyone in Europe has to follow every aspecft of US law to sell products to it successfully.
"uhm durp durp USA! USA! USA!"
blah blah blah to bypass filter
Pulling out doesn't mean blocking access to all EU IP addresses. It means shutting down EU subsidiaries, at most. ISPs would then have to decide whether to block google.com or not, but, good luck with that, given how many third party websites load things from Google servers.
The idea that the EU market is so large the EU can pull whatever nonsense it likes is probably going to be tested severely in the coming years. It looks increasingly like a lawless place - GDPR is a classic example of a law that says nothing and everything simultaneously, in which enforcement is entirely political. But there are many other such laws. The idea that the EU is a fair and predictable place to do business is increasingly stressed, and there are plenty of ways to make money from people in it without needing to follow EU law, no more than everyone in Europe has to follow every aspecft of US law to sell products to it successfully.
If Google is willing to bend over and spread'em to stay in the Chinese market then they are not about to pull out of the EU. Also, Google abandoning a market the size of the EU will basically create a protected reservation, a huge market where competitors can grow that one day might threaten Google. Then there is the fact that the EU much like the US is a very wealthy area and consistently delivers high level of profits for Google. The idea that Google will abandon the EU and go back to California to sulk is about as stupid as the idea that Europe will grind to a halt and devolve into a bronze age society because of an absence of Google. The only thing that will happen if Google goes away will be the same thing that happened when the Dinosaurs went away, the little furry critters living in the holes under the tree roots evolved into big critters with long sharp claws and fangs or pointy horns so please read the following and commit it to memory: GOOGLE will never abandon the EU market and go back to California to sulk!!!