Google has introduced a “reject all” cookies button in Europe after it was fined €150 million in France by the data protection agency.
Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés accused Google and Facebook, now Meta, of making it difficult for users to refuse online trackers.
A popular web tracking tool, cookies are small pockets of data stored in the browser, which help sites determine if you have visited them. It helps businesses keep track of customers' preferences but can also be used for nefarious purposes if hijacked.
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The French data protection agency said Facebook and Google made it deliberately difficult to reject cookies, forcing users to go through a lengthy process if they want to reject all cookies. On the other hand, accepting cookies required just one click—“accept all”.
Google has now streamlined the process and introduced three buttons that allow users to “accept all” cookies or “reject all” of them. A third “more options” button will be used for advanced settings, which can be individually toggled.
The company said it made all three buttons of the same size and shape and the buttons would be "prominent".
Google explained the changes in a blog post, saying it was committed "to meeting the standards of that updated guidance and have been working with a number of these authorities".
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Anyone visiting Google search while signed out of their accounts or in incognito mode will see the new consent choices. The changes have already been implemented in France and Google said it would be, "extending this experience across the rest of the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland. Before long, users in the region will have a new cookie choice — one that can be accepted or rejected with a single click."
Google and Meta are facing increasing scrutiny across the world over data protection and anti-competitive practices and have also been slapped with heavy fines for violations.
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