Italy fines Meta €805m over access to users’ photos without consent

Italian regulators have fined Meta €805 million for accessing photos and videos from about 20 million Android users without obtaining their explicit consent. The Data Protection Authority found that the company relied on a single app-wide permission to access users' galleries, without clearly explaining that the authorisation covered the photo suggestion feature.

The regulator has given Meta 60 days to disable the feature by default and introduce a separate consent request, clearly explaining why access to users' galleries is required and how the feature can be switched off. Meta has strongly disagreed with the decision, stating that the fine is disproportionate and that the feature was designed to make it easier for users to share photographs and videos on Facebook.

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