Italy’s data protection authority has fined Meta 880 million dollars over the handling of user photos, marking one of the largest privacy penalties imposed on the technology company in Europe. The regulator said the sanction relates to how the company processed photographs and associated personal data, and concluded that Meta had failed to comply with national privacy rules. In announcing the decision, the authority cited Meta’s lack of cooperation during the investigation as a significant factor in setting the penalty’s size, alongside the exceptionally large number of people affected by the practices in question.
Meta has said it will review the ruling and is expected to consider an appeal, arguing that its procedures have since been updated. The fine adds to a series of regulatory actions against major technology platforms in Italy and across the European Union, where authorities have increasingly scrutinized how personal data is collected, stored and reused. Consumer and privacy advocates welcomed the decision as a signal that scale and non-cooperation will be weighed heavily in enforcement, while industry analysts noted the penalty’s size could influence similar cases pending in other member states.
Independent reporting synthesized from primary wires and global correspondents.