Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:FB), the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has been fined €405mln (£349mln) over the way it handled teens’ data in Europe.
Irish data watchdog the Data Protection Commission (DPC) confirmed the penalty after a two-year investigation focused on the fact that young people had set up accounts displaying their email addresses and phone numbers.
The DPC found Instagram was in breach of the European Union’s (EU) general data protection regulation (GDPR) by allowing 13 to 17-year-olds to operate business accounts on the social media platform.
According to the Guardian, the DPC also found that Instagram operated a user registration system, meaning the accounts of 13 to 17-year-olds were ‘public’ by default.
The £349mln fine is the highest yet imposed by the watchdog on Meta, which it regulates on behalf of the EU.
Previous fines included, €225mln (£193mln) last September for severe and serious infringements of GDPR at WhatsApp.
Additionally, it is the second largest fine issued over GDPR, behind €746mln (£641mln) given to Amazon in July 2021.
Further details of the decisions will be published by the DPC this week.