Italy fines Meta €805 million over access to Android users’ photos

Italy's data protection authority has imposed a significant fine of €805 million ($887 million) on Meta Platforms Inc. for accessing photos and videos from Android users' devices without their consent. The authority found Meta gained access through a Facebook app feature recommending content for sharing on their social platform.

The company failed to obtain separate user consent before accessing personal media galleries. Meta now has 60 days to disable the feature by default and seek explicit user consent before accessing their personal gallery content. The investigation, initiated in 2025, did not determine whether the accessed content was used to train AI models, a claim Meta has denied.

However, the regulator retains the right to investigate another feature introduced in 2026 that processes gallery content in the cloud. The fine amounts to roughly 0.47% of Meta's global revenue.