The French data protection authority has fined Google €325 million ($378 million) for violating cookie regulations and displaying ads between Gmail users’ emails without their consent.

During several investigations between 2022 and 2023, the National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) found that Google’s Gmail email service displayed advertisements in the “Promotions” and “Social” tabs without the consent of Gmail users, thereby breaching Article L. 34–5 of the French Postal and Electronic Communications Code (CPCE).

As explained in a press release issued on Wednesday, this fine was imposed because Google breached the French Data Protection Act (Article 82) by failing to inform users who created new accounts that they were required to allow the search giant to place cookies for advertising purposes to access its services.