Google

AI helps French tax inspectors hunt undeclared pools and buildings

France — Link

The French tax authorities are extending the use of a system developed by Google and Capgemini which can identify swimming pools on aerial images and cross-check them with land registry databases to see if they were officially declared.    

Macron, Google and Amazon: the documents the Élysée wanted to stay secret

France — Investigation

The Élysée cited business confidentiality when it refused to provide Mediapart with correspondence between presidential advisors and Amazon, Google and others giants of the digital world dating from 2017. However, Mediapart pursued the matter and after a lengthy process the administrative court in Paris found in our favour and we now have access to these documents. Like the recent 'Uber Files' controversy, they show just how closely aligned the thinking and approach of these technological groups is with that of Macron and his entourage. And also like the Uber case, they reveal that a business lobbyist from one of the groups – in this case  Amazon - took part in Emmanuel Macron's 2017 presidential campaign. Alexandre Léchenet reports.

France fines Facebook and Google over 'cookie banners'

France — Link

With fines of €150 million for Google and €60 million for Facebook, the French privacy watchdog CNIL went much further than other EU watchdogs have gone.

Google fined €500m by France’s antitrust watchdog over copyright

France — Link

Giant US tech company must come up with proposals for how it would compensate agencies for use of their news.

France urges Apple and Google to ease privacy rules on contact tracing

France — Link

French government becomes first to call for invasive measures in effort to combat coronavirus.

France's digital minister says tax on big tech is just the start

France — Link

Cédric O says French will not back down on levy despite US threats of trade war and that tax is just tip of the iceberg in terms of new regulations needed to deal with powerful tech giants.

Google agrees 1bln-euro settlement of tax dues in France

International — Link

US digital communications giant Google has agreed an almost 1 billion-euro settlement with France's tax authorities, who threatened a potentially more costly legal case against the company for under-declaring revenue in its business in the country by using the loophole that its European headquarters were based in Ireland.  

France hits Amazon and Google with 3pc digital tax

Économie et social — Link

The 'GAFA' taxwill apply to digital companies with global revenues of over 750 million euros and French revenue over 25 million euros.

Google fined 50m euros by French data privacy watchdog

International — Link

France's data privacy watchdog, the CNIL, on Monday announced it has brought a 50-million-euro fin against US technology and internet search engine giant Google for breaching the European Union's new General Data Protection Regulation.

France to introduce digital tax in new year

France — Link

France had been pushing for Commission to agree EU-wide measures by end of 2018 but countries such as Sweden and Finland were against.

Google and Orange laying private cable between France and US

International — Link

US internet services giant Google and French telecoms company Orange are building a 6,600-kilometre-long 'cutting edge' cable under the Atlantic Ocean linking France and North America, and providing Google with a close connection between its Belgian and North Virginian data centres.

French oil firm Total in talks with Google over artificial intelligence

France — Link

Total are also talking with Microsoft as company seeks to explore how complex algorithms could be applied to its work in oil and gas.

France targets Airbnb in tax crackdown

France — Link

Economy minister Bruno Le Maire said France and Germany would join forces to tackle what he called 'digital platforms' escaping taxes on their business activities in France, notably citing Airbnb as a target.

Google escapes 1.1bln-euro French tax demand

International — Link

A Paris administrative court has ruled against the French tax administration claim for back-payments on taxes it claimed were due for the period 2005-2010 when Google and its subsidiary in Ireland were selling a service for inserting online ads to clients in France for years through the California tech giant's search engine.

France says Europe should make US firms pay fair share of taxes

France — Link

French minister said it was time for Europe to defend its own interests and make Google, Amazon and Facebook pay 'taxes they owe in Europe'.