Italy fines Meta $887m for accessing Android users’ photos and videos
Also reported by The Hill, ABC News, CBS News, BBC World, Al Jazeera
Summary
Italy’s data protection authority fined Meta €805 million ($887 million) over its Facebook app’s access to Android users’ photos, videos, and related data without specific, informed consent. Meta said it disagreed with the decision and would appeal; the authority said Meta must request separate consent and explain how the gallery-suggestion feature works.Key Facts
- The fine applies to Facebook’s gallery-suggestion feature, which has been available since 2023.
- The feature suggests photos and videos from a user’s phone gallery as possible posts.
- Italy’s regulator said a single app-wide permission and a generic notice did not clearly tell users that the feature would access their gallery.
- The regulator estimated that about 20 million Android users in Italy were affected.
- The regulator said the infringement is ongoing for some users and cited Meta’s lack of cooperation during its investigation.
- The fine is roughly 0.4% of Meta’s reported 2025 annual turnover of $201 billion.
- Meta said it strongly disagreed with the regulator’s assessment and the size of the fine.
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