A new enforcement decision confirms that CNIL fines Vanity Fair after investigators found repeated violations of France’s cookie-consent rules. The regulator issued a €750,000 penalty against the publisher for deploying trackers without proper approval and for operating a consent banner that failed to block cookies when users selected “Refuse.”
What Investigators Discovered
CNIL found that vanityfair.fr set tracking cookies immediately when visitors loaded the site. These trackers activated before users saw the consent banner or made any choice about data collection. The platform also misclassified some advertising cookies as “strictly necessary.” That label allows cookies to run without consent, but CNIL ruled that these trackers did not qualify.
The consent banner itself created further violations. Users who clicked “Refuse all” still received new tracking cookies. The refusal mechanism did not stop the trackers as required by French privacy law. Investigators cited this as a serious breach because the banner presented the illusion of choice without enforcing user intent.
Regulatory Background and Prior Warnings
The case dates back several years. CNIL received the first complaint in 2019 and issued a corrective order in 2021. Follow-up checks in 2023 and 2025 showed that the violations persisted. The regulator then moved forward with an administrative fine.
French rules require websites to:
- Request explicit, informed consent before setting non-essential cookies
- Apply accurate labels to cookie categories
- Offer clear options to accept or refuse trackers
- Ensure the refusal option stops all non-essential data collection
CNIL concluded that the publisher failed all these obligations.
Why the Decision Matters
The penalty signals that repeated non-compliance will bring substantial enforcement. The ruling also highlights several important lessons for publishers:
- Consent must occur before any tracking begins
- Incorrectly labeling advertising tools as “necessary” is a violation
- The “Refuse” button must work reliably
- Users must receive transparent information about all trackers
The case shows that publishers cannot rely on cosmetic consent banners. Regulators now expect consent journeys to function exactly as described.
Impact on Users and Industry
For users, the ruling reinforces the right to decline tracking that does not serve a legitimate or essential purpose. For the publishing sector, the fine warns that ongoing cookie-related violations will attract penalties even years after initial investigations.
Website operators may now need to review their consent banners, validation flows and tracking audits. Platforms that misclassify cookies or allow trackers to fire by default risk follow-up investigations.
Conclusion
The decision confirming that CNIL fines Vanity Fair underscores strict enforcement around cookie-consent rules in France. The regulator found unlawful tracking, misclassified cookies and a refusal mechanism that failed to protect user choice. The ruling serves as a clear reminder that websites must treat consent as a functional commitment, not a formality.
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