The primary EU privacy authority fined Meta Platforms Inc. €390 million. It was fined for using user data for personalized ads on its Facebook and Instagram subsidiaries. Moreover, it received an ultimatum to update its services in compliance with EU regulations.
According to a statement released on Wednesday by the Irish Data Protection Commission, Meta has three months to make sure the processing of this information conforms with EU regulations. After determining that Meta’s terms of service, which required users to accept tailored adverts upon registering for the social media platforms, violated EU laws, the commission fined Facebook €210 million and Instagram another €180 million.
Some of the largest tech companies in Silicon Valley, like Meta. They have their European headquarters in Ireland, and the Irish authority serves as their primary watchdog. The investigations resulted from complaints against Facebook and Instagram in 2018 that contested Meta’s new policies requiring users to agree to the new “contract” terms to access the services.
Following a legally binding directive outlining which way the Irish regulator’s ultimate decision over Meta’s units should go, the European Data Protection Board, the EU authority in charge of overseeing national data watchdogs, made its judgment on Wednesday.
According to Meta, there has been a lack of regulatory clarity around the legal justification businesses should provide for some advertisements. However, Meta also stated that it “strongly disagrees” with the Irish authority’s findings and will file an appeal.
“These decisions do not prevent targeted or personalized advertising on our platform,” Meta said in an emailed statement. “The decisions relate only to which legal basis Meta uses when offering certain advertising.”
Meta earlier acquired a smart eyewear company
The GDPR went into effect in May 2018. Afterwards it allowed data watchdogs in Europe to impose fines of up to 4%. Amazon.com Inc. received a record-breaking fine of €746 million from Luxembourg regulators under GDPR. It was followed by fines of €405 million for Instagram. Moreover, €265 million for Meta for failing to prevent a data leak.
The internet titan made another acquisition before coming under antitrust suspicion for purchasing VR fitness company Within. Luxexcel, a Dutch-based manufacturer of smart eyewear, has revealed that Meta is buying it. The agreement’s terms have not been made public; they were initially published in the Belgian newspaper De Tijd.
Luxexcel, a company established in 2009, creates prescription lenses for glasses using 3D printing. The company has lately concentrated on developing smart lenses. Smart lenses can be printed with integrated technologies like LCD panels and holographic material.
