Meta Faces Rs 82 lakh Daily Fine over Privacy issues Under European Union

New Delhi, 18th July 2023: Datatilsynet, Norway’s data protection regulator, reported that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram,is facing hefty fines and probable European repercussions for privacy violations.

The regulator announced on Monday that Meta will be penalised one million Norwegian Krone (about ₹ 82 lakh) every day beginning August 4th and ending November 3rd, unless the corporation takes corrective measures.

Datatilsynet’s main concern is Meta’s illegal gathering of user data in Norway, specifically users’ physical whereabouts, for the purpose of targeted advertising, often known as behavioural advertising. The Norwegian authorities consider this practise, which is common among major technological firms, to be illegal.

Tobias Judin, the head of Datatilsynet’s international branch, told Reuters that action was critical.

He said, “It is so clear that this is illegal that we need to intervene now and immediately. We cannot wait any longer.”

Meta has responded to the decision by claiming that it will analyse Datatilsynet’s decision and that it does not expect any immediate impact on its services. If Meta does not comply, the fine might become permanent, and the decision’s territorial scope could be expanded throughout Europe.

The case has been referred to the European Data Protection Board by Datatilsynet, and if they agree, the penalties and repercussions for Meta might be increased. “It would put additional pressure on Meta,” Judin said.

This latest step follows a judgement by the European Union’s highest court, which decided that Meta is not permitted to harvest user data for behavioural advertising. Furthermore, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), where Meta’s European offices are based, asked the business to stop this practise in December.

Meta noted that it is continuing to work with the Irish DPC to ensure that its decision is followed, recognising the ongoing discussion over legal basis and the lack of regulatory stability in this arena.