Italy fines Meta 805 million euros over access to users' photos and videos on Android

In brief

• Italy's data protection authority fined Meta Platforms 805 million euros over Android photo and video access.
• The Facebook app for Android accessed users' galleries by default without specific consent since 2023.
• Meta has 60 days to deactivate the feature and may appeal the fine.

Fine over photo and video access

Italy's data protection authority has imposed a fine of 805 million euros, about 19.7 billion Czech crowns, on Meta Platforms. The regulator says the company accessed photos, videos and related metadata on the smartphones of Italian users of the Facebook app for Android without obtaining specific consent or giving them adequate information (Taliansko udelilo Mete pokutu 805 miliónov eur za prístup k fotografiám a videám používateľov Facebooku bez ich súhlasu – STVR) (Meta dostala v Itálii pokutu 805 milionů eur za přístup k fotkám uživatelů – ČT24) (Italský úřad vyměřil americké společnosti Meta pokutu ve výši 805 milionů eur – iROZHLAS). The authority announced the decision in a press release on Saturday.

What the feature does

The function at issue has been present in the Android version of Facebook since 2023, and the regulator found it was active under the app's default settings. It gave the app access to the phone's gallery, but users were not clearly told they were permitting access to their photo and video libraries.

Size of the penalty

The authority based the amount on the number of affected users, which it estimated at 20 million. Officials put the fine at 0.47 percent of Meta's global turnover (Taliansky úrad vymeral americkej spoločnosti Meta pokutu 805 miliónov eur – HNonline.sk).

What Meta must do

Meta has 60 days to change the setting so that users clearly understand they are allowing the app to access their photo and video galleries. The company must also deactivate the feature for people who currently have it enabled. Meta has not immediately responded to the decision, and it can appeal against the fine.

Key figures

| Item | Value | |---|---| | Fine | 805 million euros | | Estimated affected users in Italy | 20 million | | Share of global turnover | 0.47 percent | | Deadline to change settings | 60 days |