Meta fined $402 million in EU over Instagram’s privacy settings for children

Meta has been fined €405 million ($402 million) by the Irish Data Protection Commission for its handling of children’s privacy settings on Instagram, which violated Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). As Politico reports, it’s the second-largest fine to come out of Europe’s GDPR laws, and the third (and largest) fine levied against Meta by the regulator.

A spokesperson for the DPC confirmed the fine, and said additional details about the decision would be available next week. The fine stems from the photo sharing app’s privacy settings on accounts run by children. The DPC had been investigating Instagram over children’s use of business accounts, which made personal data like email addresses and phone numbers publicly visible. The investigation also covered Instagram’s policy of defaulting all new accounts, including teens, to be publicly viewable.

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Source: Meta faces $402 million EU fine over Instagram’s privacy settings for children | Engadget

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