In response to a probe into Instagram’s handling of children’s data, Ireland’s data protection regulator has decided to impose a record fine of 405 million euros ($402 million) on the social network.
According to a spokeswoman for parent company Meta Platforms Inc (META.O), Instagram intends to fight the penalties.
The inquiry, which got off in 2020, concentrated on young users between the ages of 13 and 17 who had access to business accounts, which made it easier for the user’s phone number and/or email address to be made public.
The spokeswoman for Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), the primary overseer of Instagram’s parent firm, said, “We adopted our final judgement last Friday and it does comprise a fine of 405 million euro.”
The decision’s complete details would be released the following week, he said.
A representative for Meta claimed that Instagram released new tools to protect young users’ privacy and safety after updating its settings over a year ago.
According to the representative, Instagram is carefully considering the verdict and disagrees with how the fee was determined.
Because Facebook, Apple, Google, and other tech companies have their EU headquarters in Ireland, the DPC is responsible for regulating them. More than a dozen inquiries have been made into Meta firms, including as Facebook and WhatsApp.
225 million euros in fines were levied against WhatsApp last year for violating EU data protection laws in 2018.
Under the EU’s “one stop shop” method for regulating big corporations, the Irish regulator finished a draft judgement in the Instagram probe in December and shared it with other EU regulators.
