Google introduces cookie opt-out for European users

Google has announced to roll out an option to reject cookies with a single click for European users. The update has started to be deployed in France on YouTube and will be extended to all its platforms across Europe.

The company said that it is committed to changing its practices after French data watchdog CNIL slapped it with a fine of 150-million-euro earlier this year. The body criticised Google and Facebook for making it more difficult to opt-out tracking than opt-in, ordering both firms to make changes within three months or face a penalty of 100,000 euros a day.

Both Google and Facebook have faced a blitz of legal cases and punishments over its use of web-tracking technology, which breaches EU privacy legislation. Google and Facebook use cookies to target advertising, which is their primary source of revenue.

The US giant said, “We have completely overhauled our approach, including changing the infrastructure we use to manage cookies. These changes have consequences not only for our search engine and YouTube, but also for the sites and content creators who rely on cookies to increase their business and generate revenue.”