France’s data privacy watchdog National Commission for Informatics and Liberties (NCIL) has slapped a $57 million fine on Google for not complying with GDPR rules. This is the biggest fine that has been imposed on a tech company after GDPR rules come into effect from May last year.
According to CNIL, the fine has been imposed because the tech giant failed to provide enough information to users about how their data is collected and didn’t give them complete control over their data.
“Essential information, such as the data processing purposes, the data storage periods or the categories of personal data used for the ads personalization, are excessively disseminated across several documents, with buttons and links on which it is required to click to access complementary information,” the French data protection authority wrote.
As per the latest GDPR regulations, companies are required to obtain “genuine consent” from users which the search giant company failed to do. The companies must make it easy for users to opt out of the data collection programs.
Google is yet to rectify the charges levied on it. The $57 million fine is less given that GDPR defaulters can be fined with a maximum of 4% of the company’s annual global turnover for serious offenses. Google recorded $33.74 billion annual turnover in 2018, which could have resulted in a hefty fine.
After facing the fine, a Google representative told Techcrunch that the company is “deeply committed” to meeting the high expectations that users have from them regarding transparency and control. Google is studying the decision of the authority to decide its next move.
