Meta fined $887 million in Italy over Android gallery photos and videos on Facebook
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- Italy fined Meta $887 million over a Facebook feature that accessed Android users’ gallery photos and videos without specific, informed consent, the country’s data protection authority said.
- The regulator ordered Meta to disable the feature and obtain separate consent within 60 days.
- The Italian Data Protection Authority said Meta’s ‘lack of cooperation’ with the investigation factored into the penalty.
ROME — Italy announced an $887-million fine against Meta on Saturday for using photos and videos from Android users’ galleries on Facebook without specific consent or adequate disclosure.
The Italian Data Protection Authority said the feature, called “Get suggestions from gallery when browsing Facebook,” violated a European privacy directive incorporated into Italian law. The directive protects smartphones as part of a person’s private sphere and requires “free and informed consent” for such access, the authority said.
Investigators found that the feature was enabled by default and that Facebook requested gallery access through a single permission covering multiple app functions with different purposes.
The authority gave Meta 60 days to disable the feature and seek separate consent for its use. Italy has about 20 million Android users, the agency said.
Meta made no immediate comment.
The fine was imposed on Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, which challenged Italy’s jurisdiction, according to the statement.
The authority said Meta’s “lack of cooperation” with the investigation factored into the penalty, which amounts to approximately 0.47% of the group’s global revenue.
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