The European Union has been cracking down on tech giants for their data privacy practices, and the latest company to face the consequences is Facebook parent Meta. On Wednesday, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission imposed two fines totaling 390 million euros ($414 million) for violations of the European Union’s strict data privacy rules.
The first fine of 210 million euros was for violations involving Facebook, while the second fine of 180 million euros was for breaches involving Instagram. The watchdog also banned Meta from forcing European users to agree to personalized ads based on their online activity.
The fines are the latest punishment for Meta for data privacy infringements, following four other fines for the company since 2021. The European Union has now fined Meta a total of 8.8 billion euros since 2017.
A decision in a third case involving Meta’s WhatsApp messaging service is expected later this month. It is unclear how the fines and bans will affect Meta’s business model of targeting users with ads based on what they do online.
The European Union’s strict data privacy rules are designed to protect users’ personal data and ensure that companies are transparent about how they use it. The fines imposed on Meta are a reminder that companies must comply with these rules or face serious consequences.
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