Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook, faces a daily fine of 1 million crowns ($98,500) starting from August 14th over privacy breaches, as confirmed by Norway’s data protection authority. The decision, which stems from privacy violations, could set a precedent with broader implications across Europe.
Norway’s regulator, Datatilsynet, initially warned Meta Platforms on July 17th that a fine would be imposed if privacy breaches were not rectified. The company had until August 4th to address the identified issues, failing which the daily fine would come into effect.
The breaches relate to Meta’s unauthorised harvesting of user data, including physical locations, for behavioural advertising purposes—a common practice among major tech firms. The company’s plan to seek user consent within the European Union before using their data for targeted advertising was deemed insufficient by Datatilsynet.
The fine will be applicable until November 3rd, and if the decision is referred to the European Data Protection Board, it could potentially extend the fine’s reach across Europe.
Meta’s recent announcement to seek user consent for targeted advertising in the EU was seen as a step in the right direction, but Datatilsynet emphasised the need to immediately cease data processing until the consent mechanism is fully operational.
