Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has been fined $94,000 a day for breaking European data privacy rules in Norway.
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet) found that Meta had been harvesting user data without their consent and using it to target advertising. This is a violation of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires companies to obtain explicit consent from users before collecting or using their personal data.
Meta has argued that it has already committed to asking for consent from users, but Datatilsynet said that it was unclear when and how this would happen. The regulator also said that Meta’s current practices were violating users’ rights in the meantime.
Meta is appealing the fine. It adds that it is committed to protecting user privacy and that it is working to comply with the GDPR.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.
