Italy Fines Meta 805 Million Euros Over Android Photo Access

Italian regulators have fined social media giant Meta €805m for accessing Android users' photos without their specific consent. Italy's Data Protection Authority said Meta did not properly inform about 20 million smartphone users that it had access to their photos and videos via a feature of the Facebook app. The regulator has given Meta 60 days to disable the feature by default and seek users' consent separately. This penalty ranks among the largest an Italian authority has ever imposed on a tech giant.

Details

The charge is related to a feature that suggests photos and videos from a user's phone gallery as ideas for posts. Facebook requested access to user photo galleries through a single app-wide authorisation. The Italian regulator stated that a preceding notice did not make clear that this would also allow Facebook to generate suggestions based on those gallery photos. The regulator took into account the high number of people affected and the fact that the practice is still ongoing for users who have not updated the app and for those who already gave consent. It also cited Meta's lack of co-operation.

Reactions and Past Fines

A Meta spokesperson told the BBC that the company planned to appeal. Meta stated that it strongly disagreed with the regulator's assessment of the facts, its application of the law, and the disproportionate level of the fine. The company described it as a straightforward feature which helps people post photos and videos to Facebook, noting that people must give permission on their device before it can operate and can change this permission at any time via settings. Last month, Meta was hit with its largest fine ever when a US judge in New Mexico ordered the company to pay $25bn after finding it had spent years lying to the public about how it handled Facebook user data.

Context

European regulators frequently use privacy laws like GDPR to scrutinize how big technology companies handle user data and consent. Such large fines highlight the growing financial risks that global social media platforms face over how their app features collect personal media. Companies targeted by these decisions often choose to appeal the rulings in national courts.