Google’s balance sheet in France is burdened with additional litigation. It is not the Cnil or the Competition Authority that pinpoints the American giant. The sanction comes from the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention, the DGCCRF.
The investigation was opened in 2021 following checks carried out on Gafam services. The file is closed and the Management imposes an administrative fine against the giant: 2.015 million euros.
Lack of information on the criteria for ranking results
It is the Irish subsidiary which is condemned, that is to say the European headquarters of the firm. The DGCCRF accuses it of several breaches of the regulations provided for by the consumer code and to which the operators of digital platforms are subject.
It is in particular the information provided by Google which is called into question, or at least its shortcomings. Its sanction is globally justified by the absence of “clear, fair and transparent information to consumers.”
The French administration holds several grievances against him. On his search engine first. In this area, “a lack of information relating to the criteria for ranking the results was noted”, specifies the DGCCRF.
Still on its engine, it is the search and comparison module for tourist accommodation offers that is criticized. The “checks revealed the lack of communication to the consumer of information relating to the pricing conditions of the offers offered.”
The absence of information also pinned on Google Play
The DGCCRF also took an interest in the Play Store, Google’s application store. The practices of the company on its store had already earned it a conviction in France for a fine of 2 million euros.
Shortcomings persist. Here too, Gafam is guilty of “the absence of information relating to the criteria for ranking the results, the quality of the provider (professional or individual), the terms of payment and those for settling disputes.”
Finally, the last error held against Google: consumer reviews posted on the Play Store. The DGCCRF sanctions here “the fact of not informing the author of an opinion of the reasons which led to its publication being refused.”
The lack of information is undoubtedly a recurring practice in the Google ecosystem, even if the DGCCRF indicates that “the operator has since corrected some of the breaches sanctioned” – without specifying which ones, however.
The lack of transparency and unsatisfactory information were already grievances invoked by the CNIL in 2019 to justify a record fine for breaching the GDPR. Google then received a fine of 50 million euros.