(Telecompaper) France's data-protection watchdog notified Google it has filed a formal sanction proceeding that could lead to fines, alleging the US internet company's handling of French user data violates European privacy law. France's privacy watchdog, the Commission Nationale de I'Informatique et des Libertes, or CNIL, said it is filing the sanctions because Google missed a three-month deadline to comply with an order to change its treatment of user data. CNIL did not specify the amount of the fine it might seek, but a person briefed on the matter told the Wall Street Journal that the agency is considering whether it would be legally possible to treat every user in France as an infraction, allowing it to multiply the fines beyond the current maximum of EUR 150,000 for first offenses. A Google spokesman said that the company's "privacy policy respects European law" and that it has "engaged fully in the CNIL throughout this process."