> fines were because of inappropriate use of cookie consent popups?

see: "8 companies that faced cookie consent fines"

https://www.cookieyes.com/blog/cookie-consent-fines/

"In January 2023, France’s data protection watchdog, CNIL, fined TikTok €5 million ($5.4 million) for making it difficult to refuse cookies on its website. The CNIL found that TikTok manipulated consent by discouraging users from rejecting cookies. They required multiple clicks to refuse cookies, but only one click to accept them. TikTok resolved the issue by adding a “Refuse all” button to its site."