Italy fines Meta $880m over photo privacy
Italian regulators have fined Meta 805 million euros ($887m) for accessing users’ photos without their consent. The Facebook app on Android devices “accessed photos, videos and associated metadata stored on Italian users’ smartphones without specific consent and without informing them”, Garante, the Italian data privacy authority, said Saturday. The issue relates specifically to the “Get […]
Italian data privacy authority Garante has imposed a hefty $887 million fine on Meta for violating privacy by accessing users' photos without their consent. The issue specifically concerns the "Get suggestions from gallery when browsing Facebook" feature. This feature suggests photos and videos from a user's phone gallery for posting while browsing through Facebook.
Garante found that the app's consent collection process was too generic and did not adequately inform users about the specific permissions they were granting. Additionally, the suggestions option was enabled by default. Meta's fine is the largest ever imposed by the Italian regulator. The fine mandates Meta to clarify consent notifications and disable the default setting.
Approximately 20 million Italian Android users may have been affected by this violation. Garante also criticized Meta for a lack of cooperation, citing a previous violation in 2019 that led to a previous fine. The fine accounts for roughly 0.47 percent of Meta's global turnover. The proceedings did not delve into the potential use of content for AI training, a claim denied by Meta. Meta has not yet commented publicly on the matter but can appeal the decision.
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