privacy advocate
France: Microsoft fined millions
France’s data protection authority CNIL has imposed a fine of 60 million euros on the software manufacturer. photo
© Peter Kneffel/dpa
Violations of the Microsoft search engine “bing.com” have financial consequences for the tech group. If the company does not act, there are further penalties.
Microsoft is to pay a fine of millions in France for violating legal regulations on cookies. France’s data protection authority CNIL imposed a fine of 60 million euros on the software manufacturer, as the CNIL announced on Thursday in Paris.
The authority accuses Microsoft of violations in the search engine “bing.com”. Cookies for advertising purposes would be recorded without consent. In addition, there is no button that makes rejecting cookies as easy as accepting them.
Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored on the device when you visit a website. This makes many things easier for the user, but personal information can also become transparent and be transmitted to advertisers.
The CNIL determined that Microsoft must change its regulation within three months. Users in France should then give their consent before cookies are stored for advertising purposes. Otherwise, the software manufacturer should pay a fine of 60,000 euros per day of delay. The fine is directed against Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd.