Italy fines Meta $887 million over Android users’ data access
Italy's data protection agency has levied a hefty €805 million ($887 million) fine on Meta Platforms, citing unauthorized access to Android users' photos and videos. The oversight came after the tech giant's Facebook app displayed content from users' personal galleries, prompting users to post the photos without explicit consent or notification.
The regulatory body stipulated that Meta must ensure the feature operates with fresh user consent in the coming 60 days or deactivate it by default. A Meta spokesperson dismissed the fine as disproportionate, insisting it "helps people share photos and videos on Facebook." They reiterated that users must grant permission on their devices before the feature can function, and can alter that authorization at any juncture in their settings.
The investigation, initiated in 2025, did not probe the potential use of such content for training artificial intelligence models, a claim Meta refuted. Moreover, the agency has not ruled out assessing a recently introduced feature that processes content from users' galleries in the cloud. This fine represents approximately 0.47% of Meta's global revenue, the agency noted. Around 20 million Android users in Italy have been impacted by this regulatory action.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
