Ireland, new fine for Meta.

Facebook and Instagram parent Meta has been fined €265mn by Ireland’s privacy watchdog over its handling of user data, bringing the total amount European regulators have fined the technology giant to nearly €1bn.

The fine, revealed yesterday by the Irish Data Protection Commission, ends an inquiry launched last year when details of more than 500mn Facebook and Instagram users were published online. Meta has often been in the crosshairs of privacy regulators worldwide, with Ireland’s data watchdog often taking the lead in Europe as the company’s European headquarters are in Dublin. The personal data of 533mn users across 106 countries were published on a hacking forum in 2019, including names, locations and some email addresses. Facebook subsequently fixed the vulnerability on this feature, where external parties could collect data through scraping.

Meta said it reviewed the decision carefully and «protecting the privacy and security of people’s data is fundamental to how our business works». The latest sanction brings the total Meta has been fined in Ireland to roughly €1bn, including €225mn against its messaging service WhatsApp for failing to enforce transparency requirements under EU law and a €405mn fine against Instagram for breaching data laws and failing to protect children’s data in particular. The penalties are part of the enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation, an EU law that was seen as setting a global standard for online privacy when it came into force four years ago.

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