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France fines Google $57 million for violating privacy rules

How big a fine is appropriate when a company earns scores of billions a year?

French regulators have fined Google $57 million for failing to be transparent about privacy guidelines. It’s the first time an EU member state has invoked the General Data Protection Regulation that went into effect last year. The fine represents less than one twentieth of one percent of the company’s revenue from last year. (By comparison, that’s a fine of less than $25 on someone who earns an annual salary of $50,000.) How effective are fines when regulators deal with a company as large as Google? 

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