Dark Patterns fines
Interface designs that nudge or trap users into unwanted choices.
Dark patterns are interface designs that manipulate users: making it far harder to refuse cookies than to accept them, or burying subscription cancellation behind deliberate friction. Both EU cookie-consent enforcement and the FTC's Prime case fall here.
6 penalties · ≈ $3.2B imposed
6 penalties
Amazon · Prime · 2025
Amazon's $2.5B FTC settlement over Prime dark patterns
The FTC settled claims that Amazon tricked consumers into enrolling in Prime through deceptive sign-up flows and made cancellation deliberately difficult, an internal process nicknamed Iliad. The settlement comprised a $1B civil penalty and $1.5B in refunds to about 35 million customers.
Google · Gmail · 2025
CNIL fines Google €325M over Gmail ads and cookies
The CNIL's largest cookie penalty against Google covered advertising inserted directly into Gmail inboxes without consent, alongside continued cookie-consent failures.
Google · 2022
CNIL fines Google €150M over hard-to-refuse cookies
The CNIL found that Google made refusing cookies far harder than accepting them, a dark-pattern design that did not amount to valid consent.
Google · 2020
CNIL fines Google €100M over advertising cookies
The CNIL fined Google for placing advertising cookies on users' devices without prior consent and without adequate information.
Microsoft · Bing · 2022
CNIL fines Microsoft €60M over Bing cookies
The CNIL fined Microsoft for depositing advertising cookies on bing.com without consent and for making it harder to refuse cookies than to accept them.
Amazon · 2020
CNIL fines Amazon €35M over advertising cookies
The CNIL fined Amazon for placing advertising cookies on amazon.fr visitors' devices without consent or adequate information.