Italy slaps Meta with €805mn fine over access to Android photos

Italy's data protection agency has imposed a hefty €805 million fine on Meta for breaching the privacy of Italian users. The regulators claim that Meta accessed photos and videos from Italian Android phone users through the Facebook app, specifically a feature that suggests content from users' personal galleries for posting on the social media platform. This action occurred without obtaining explicit consent from users or providing adequate information about the feature's usage.

The fine, equating to 0.4% of Meta's annual revenue, stands as the most substantial penalty ever issued by Italian regulators against a major tech firm. Meta has been given 60 days to disable the camera roll suggestions feature and seek individual permissions from Facebook users for this particular function.

The investigation was initiated by Italian regulators in July 2025, and the tech giant has been uncooperative throughout the probe. So far, the majority of affected users are those who have not updated the app or have already granted consent for the system to operate. Italian authorities have launched this inquiry into Meta's data privacy infringements and stress that the issue persists for non-updated users and those who have given consent.

As of now, Meta has not responded to the fine or the allegations posed by Italian authorities, but the company may file a legal appeal against the financial penalty. Previously, Meta has denied using the camera roll feature to train AI models, though this particular aspect was not under scrutiny by Italian regulators. The company's European headquarters are situated in Ireland, and regulators have dismissed claims that the data privacy case should be handled under Irish legal jurisdiction.