On April 29, 2025, the French Data Protection Authority (the “CNIL”) published its Annual Activity Report for 2024 (the “Report”). The Report provides an overview of the CNIL’s activities in 2024, including enforcement activities and other new developments.
In particular, the Report revealed that:
- In 2024, the CNIL conducted numerous inspections of private and public companies. These investigations were initiated following complaints or reports linked to current events or as part of the CNIL’s identified priority areas. The CNIL focused on a wide range of issues, including cookie compliance, cybersecurity, and the use of CCTV. In total, the CNIL adopted 303 corrective measures in 2024, including 87 sanctions, resulting in more than €55 million in fines. At the EU level, the CNIL led 12 cross-border sanction projects under the cooperation and consistency mechanisms.
- The CNIL received a high volume of complaints, with a total of 17,772 complaints filed. Data breaches, particularly those that could result in the theft of banking information or identity theft, remained a major source of concern for the CNIL. More broadly, issues related to telecommunications, websites and social media generated the highest number of complaints (49% of the total complaints). These were followed by issues related to the retail sector (19%) and employment (13%).
- The CNIL was notified of 5,629 personal data breach – a 20% increase compared to 2023. Beyond this increase, according to the CNIL, large-scale incidents surged, with the number of breaches affecting over one million people doubling. These attacks targeted key sectors such as Internet service providers, e-commerce, public services and healthcare platforms. One-third of the CNIL’s sanctions concerned security failings, highlighting an ongoing compliance gap. To respond to this threat, the CNIL furthered its collaborations with the French Agency for Information Security (Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information), the Paris cyber prosecutor (J3) and Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr in an effort to contain the impact of breaches.
- Building on its 2023 action plan, the CNIL published its first AI recommendations, including 12 practical guidance sheets (nine of which were finalized), with the aim of supporting privacy-friendly innovation.
- As part of the CNIL’s broader commitment to sector and technological alignment, the CNIL launched a regulatory sandbox focused on the senior economy, selecting four companies for tailored support. Additional initiatives included the publication of a recommendation on designing privacy-friendly mobile apps, regional outreach to discuss GDPR implementation, and thematic webinars.
- The CNIL also increased its outreach on youth data protection, focusing on issues such as access to harmful content, parental monitoring, cyberbullying and media literacy. It conducted 84 in-person actions targeting minors. Workshops were held in schools, public events and fairs, alongside the release of youth-friendly resources like the “Your Data, Your Rights” campaign, created in collaboration with the data protection authority of South Korea. The CNIL also expanded partnerships with television broadcast channels and the Ministry of Education, reinforcing its role in digital citizenship education. Beyond youth, the CNIL organized 173 awareness-raising activities nationwide targeting intergenerational audiences, persons with disabilities and families. Among others initiatives, the CNIL published a guide on cyber threats for families and organized workshops for seniors.
Download a copy of the Report (only available in French).