The French data protection authority (CNIL) has imposed heavy fines on search engine Google and fast fashion platform Shein for failing to comply with internet cookie laws.

The two companies, each of which has tens of millions of users in France, received two of the heaviest penalties ever imposed by the CNIL supervisory authority: €150 million for Shein and €325 million for Google.

Both companies failed to obtain the free and informed consent of users before placing advertising cookies in their browsers. This was established by the authority in a decision that the companies can still appeal, AFP reported.

Cookies are small files stored in browsers by websites that can collect data on users' online activity, making them indispensable for online advertising and the business models of many large platforms.

CNIL has tightened control over their use in recent years as part of a "general strategy to bring (market players) into compliance over the past five years, targeting in particular sites and services that receive high traffic," the authority said.

Shein has collected "huge" amounts of data from cookies placed on the computers of 12 million monthly users in France, it added.

The Asian low-cost clothing company did not obtain the consent of users and did not adequately inform them, nor did it offer appropriate options for withdrawing consent.

Shein has updated its systems to meet CNIL's requirements under French and European law following the investigation. | BGNES