Ireland fines Instagram $400 million for violating children’s privacy policy – The Hollywood Reporter
Ireland’s data privacy regulator has handed out a record $402 million (£405 million) fine against social network operator Instagram after an investigation found it breached regulatory laws. the processing of children’s online data.
Instagram’s parent company, Meta Platforms, has said it will appeal the fine.
The Irish investigation, which began in 2020, found that Instagram allowed child users aged 13 to 17 to use Instagram business accounts, which facilitated the publication of phone numbers and / or the user’s email address. That, in the judgment of Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner, is a violation of the country’s law on protecting children’s data online. The Data Protection Commission regulates Meta’s companies, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as Apple, Google and other tech giants, with its European headquarters in Ireland.
Full details of the decision will be announced next week.
A spokesperson for Meta said Instagram updated its settings over a year ago to address the issue and has since released new features “to keep teens and their information safe at home.” privacy mode”.
The spokesperson said Instagram disagrees with how the fine is calculated and is carefully reviewing the decision.
This is not the first time that Meta has complied with European data laws. In 2018, WhatsApp was fined 225 million euros, a record amount at the time, for not complying with EU data rules.
