Italy fines Meta $887 million over Android users' data access
MILAN: Italy’s data protection agency said on Saturday it had fined Meta Platforms €805 million ($887 million) after finding the company had accessed Android users’ photographs and videos without obtaining their consent or informing them. Meta had access to Android users’ photos and videos through a Facebook app feature that suggested content from users’ personal galleries that they could post,…
On Saturday, Italy's data protection agency announced a hefty fine of €805 million ($887 million) against Meta Platforms. The citation arises from the company's unauthorized access to Android users' photographs and videos. The agency found that Meta failed to secure users' consent or notify them about the data collection. The agency made this known in a statement.
The feature in question enabled Meta to suggest content from users' personal galleries, which they could subsequently post. The agency gave Meta 60 days to disable the feature by default and seek separate user consent. Meta was not available for comment at the time of reporting.
The investigation, which commenced in 2025, did not delve into whether Meta used the accessed content to train artificial intelligence models, a claim Meta refuted. The agency also maintained the right to evaluate a new feature, introduced in 2026, that permits processing of content from users' galleries in the cloud. The fine, equivalent to approximately 0.47% of Meta's global revenue, underscores the severity of the violation.
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