The European Union has fined Facebook owner Meta millions of euros for violating the bloc’s data protection laws.
The European Commission’s competition chief Margrethe Vestager said the company had breached EU rules when it collected personal data from its users without the necessary consent.
The fine amount is €110 million (around $125 million), and the company has been given three months to comply with the decision.
The Commission said that the firm had used its market power to obstruct its users’ options for a better app experience and to force them to accept the inappropriate collection of their personal data.
Ms. Vestager added that the company had gone beyond collecting the data for the purposes of targeted ads, and “therefore, the decision sends a clear message to companies that all processing of personal data must respect EU rules”.
She also said that by this ruling, the Commission is sending a clear message to companies that all processing of personal data must respect EU rules.
It is expected that this will have an impact on other digital service providers in Europe and strengthen customers’ trust in the digital environment.
