Meta fined $414 Mn by Irish regulators over privacy violations

Irish regulators have hit Facebook parent Meta with hundreds of millions in fines for online privacy violations and banned the company from forcing European users to agree to personalized ads based on their online activity.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission imposed two fines totalling 390 million euros in its decision in two cases. The watchdog fined Meta 210 million euros for violations of the European Union’s strict data privacy rules involving Facebook and an additional 180 million euros for breaches involving Instagram.

Previously, Meta planned on getting informed consent from users to process their personal data to serve them personalized, or behavioral, ads. When General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force, the company changed the legal basis under which it processes user data by adding a clause to the terms of service for advertisements, effectively forcing users to agree that their data could be used, violating EU privacy rules.

Meta said, “We strongly believe our approach respects GDPR, and we’re therefore disappointed by these decisions and intend to appeal both the substance of the rulings and the fines.”

The Irish watchdog initially sided with Meta but changed its position after the draft decision was sent to a board of EU data protection regulators, and many objected. In its final decision, the Irish watchdog said Meta “is not entitled to rely on the ‘contract’ legal basis to deliver behavioral adverts on Facebook and Instagram.”