Meta fined more than $600 million for Facebook and Instagram privacy breaches – ABC

Facebook’s parent company Meta has been hit with hundreds of millions of dollars in fines for privacy violations and has been banned from forcing users in the European Union to agree to personalised ads based on their online activity.Key points:Ireland’s data protection watchdog fined Meta for violations involving Facebook and Instagram in the European UnionMeta and other Big Tech companies have come under pressure from the European Union’s privacy rulesA decision in a third case involving Meta’s WhatsApp messaging service is expected later this monthIreland’s Data Protection Commission imposed two fines totalling 390 million euros ($606 million) in its decision in two cases that could shake up Meta’s business model of targeting users with ads based on what they do online.The company says it will appeal.A decision in a third case involving Meta’s WhatsApp messaging service is expected later this month.Meta and other Big Tech companies have come under pressure from the European Union’s privacy rules, which are some of the world’s strictest.Irish regulators have already slapped Meta with four other fines for data privacy infringements since 2021 that total more than 900 million euros ($1.39bn) and have a slew of other open cases against a number of Silicon Valley
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