GOOGLE LLC and GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED

CNIL (France) case SAN-2025-004, decided 2025-09-01. EUR 325,000,000.

What the regulator decided

During Google-account creation, advertising cookies were deposited on users' terminals without freely-given consent because the implications of the proposed "cookie wall" were not explained sufficiently for an informed choice; and inserting advertisements between messages in the Gmail inbox amounts to electronic prospecting under Article L. 34-5 CPCE, requiring prior consent that Google did not obtain.

Primary source

Regulator-owned URL. Quote this in legal briefs and academic citations.

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/cnil/id/CNILTEXT000052182222

ConsentMark interpretation

Operator-readable note on how this case shapes the ConsentMark scanner narrative. Not a legal opinion; cites the primary source.

Fine split: EUR 200M against Google LLC + EUR 125M against Google Ireland Limited. Six-month compliance deadline with EUR 100k/day astreinte for non-compliance. Cite when the scanner narrative covers a "you must accept tracking to create the account" pattern or when advertising units in a transactional surface trigger Article L. 34-5 prospecting obligations.

Verification trail

Verified by: donal
Verified at: 2026-05-27
Review due: 2026-11-27

Cite this case

Pick the format that matches where you are pasting. The methodology version is preserved in every variant so the citation stays verifiable after future methodology changes.

BibTeX

@misc{consentmark-precedent-cnil-san-2025-004,
  author       = {{ConsentMark}},
  year         = {2025},
  title        = {CNIL (France) SAN-2025-004 - GOOGLE LLC and GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.consentmark.com/precedent/cnil-san-2025-004}},
  note         = {ConsentMark methodology v1.3}
}

APA

ConsentMark. (2025, September 1). CNIL (France) SAN-2025-004 - GOOGLE LLC and GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED. Methodology v1.3. https://www.consentmark.com/precedent/cnil-san-2025-004

Markdown

[CNIL (France) SAN-2025-004 - GOOGLE LLC and GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED - ConsentMark](https://www.consentmark.com/precedent/cnil-san-2025-004)

Plain text

CNIL (France) SAN-2025-004 - GOOGLE LLC and GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED - ConsentMark, 2025-09-01, methodology v1.3, https://www.consentmark.com/precedent/cnil-san-2025-004