In the latest blow to the creepy ‘tracking-ads’ complex, French adtech giant Criteo has been found in breach of European Union data protection regulation and hit with a €60 million sanction (~$65 million) by the country’s national privacy watchdog in a preliminary decision following a multi-year investigation.

Digital rights advocacy group Privacy International, which lodged a formal complaint against the surveillance adtech giant back in 2018, when the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into application, tweeted news of the sanction today.

BREAKING: Nearly 4 years after our complaint and 2 after starting their investigation, the French data protection authority CNIL finds breaches in Criteo's activities, and proposes a fine of €60 million.

Why did this happen and why does it matter? 👇 https://t.co/0DGq1nhj9E

— Privacy International (@privacyint) August 5, 2022

It accuses Criteo of operating what it dubs a “manipulation machine”, via the application ...