The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has announced a fine of €251 million against Meta's Irish subsidiary due to a 2018 data breach affecting approximately 29 million accounts, including 3 million from the European Union. The breach exposed users' names, emails, and phone numbers, and the DPC found that Meta failed to embed data protection requirements into its system design, leaving personal data at risk of misuse and threatening basic rights and freedoms.
The DPC cited that Meta's data protection failures led to a significant infringement of EU laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The fine is one of the largest imposed on a tech company in the EU.
This incident highlights the importance of robust data protection measures and the need for companies to prioritize user privacy.
For more information, please refer to the DPC's press release: https://dataprotection.ie/en/news-media/press-releases/irish-data-protection-commission-fines-meta-eu251-million
This incident serves as a reminder to companies to prioritize data protection and user privacy, as well as the importance of adhering to EU laws and regulations.