Ireland’s data privacy regulator has said that it would fine Instagram 405 million Euros which is about $402 million as the social media app had reportedly mishandled data obtained from children. The probe that began in 2020 investigated how the data of children between the ages 13 and 17, who operated business accounts, was used. It was found that these users’ phone numbers and/or email addresses had been published. The social media platform was found to have violated strict European Union data privacy rules for children.
A spokesperson for Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), which is the lead regulator of Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Instagram, said that they had adopted their final decision on Friday and that it had contained a fine of 405 million Euros, according to reports in multiple outlets.
This is the second highest fine issued by the EU on tech companies for violating the stringent privacy rules in the EU. In 2021, Amazon had been fined 746 million Euros by regulators in Luxembourg.
The DPC had completed a draft ruling at the end of last year and had shared it with regulators in the EU as the bloc has a “one stop shop” system that regulates large multinationals. The final ruling with full details would be published in the following week, according to the DPC.
A Meta spokesperson told Reuters that Instagram had not agreed with the method by which the fine was calculated and had carefully been reviewing the decision. The spokesperson also told the outlet that Instagram had updated its settings more than a year ago. The spokesperson said that the app also had new features that would keep teens safe as well as keep their information private.
Many tech giants such as Meta, Apple, Google and more located their European Union headquarters in Ireland. So, the DPC became the regulator for these companies. It has opened more than 12 investigations into parent Meta and its companies such as Facebook and WhatsApp. In 2018, it had fined WhatsApp 225 million Euros for non compliance with EU rules as the app had breached transparency rules by sharing people’s data with other companies in the Meta Platforms group.
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