Meta fined $414 mn for breaching data laws

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, was recently fined 390 million euros (about $414 million) on accounts of breaching EU's personal data laws. 

The announcement comes from a statement made by the Irish Data Protection Commission, which explains that Meta has breached their obligations in regard to transparency in how the personal data of Facebook and Instagram users are used. According to the Ireland-based regulatory commission, Meta has used an "incorrect legal basis" to process personal data to cater "behavioural advertising" to their users. 

The statement indicates that the final decision regarding the fining has been made, and for violating EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Meta will be fined 210 million euros (about $223 million) for Facebook and 180 million euros (about $191 million) for Instagram. 

The fine was issued to Meta's European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. According to reports, Meta's WhatsApp will also receive a separate verdict next week regarding the platform's apparent privacy regulation breach. 

As a response, Meta said they will appeal the fine. The accompanying statement from Meta emphasised that the company "strongly believes" their approach respects EU's GDPR. Furthermore, Meta added that they comply with the targeted advertising standards set by the GDPR. 

Meta has had a history of being filed for privacy issues. Less than a month ago, the tech giant agreed to pay a $725 million fine to resolve a class-action lawsuit of allowing third parties to access personal user data. A confidential EU filing from early December 2022 stated that Meta will be unable to run advertisements based on users' personal data.