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Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook, will face a daily fine of 1 million crowns ($98,500) for privacy breaches, starting from August 14, according to Norway’s data protection authority, Datatilsynet. This decision, with potential wider implications in Europe, comes after the regulator identified privacy breaches and warned of the fine on July 17.
The Norwegian regulator emphasized that Meta cannot collect user data in Norway, including their physical locations, to target behavioral advertising. This business model, common among major tech companies, has drawn regulatory scrutiny.
Meta Platforms has until August 4 to demonstrate to the regulator that it has resolved the privacy issues. The imposed daily fine will continue until November 3. If Datatilsynet refers the decision to the European Data Protection Board and it agrees, the decision could potentially apply across Europe.
Meta recently announced plans to seek user consent within the European Union before allowing businesses to use their data for targeted advertising. However, Datatilsynet stated that this measure alone is insufficient. The company must halt the processing of personal data immediately, a requirement that holds until the consent mechanism is fully operational.
Tobias Judin, the head of Datatilsynet’s international section, noted that the implementation of Meta’s consent mechanism would take months at the earliest, leaving users’ rights violated in the interim.
The change in Meta’s approach is a response to regulatory demands and a January order from Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner, Meta’s lead regulator in the European Union. While Norway is not an EU member, it is part of the European single market.
Please note that the currency conversion rate is $1 = 10.1569 Norwegian crowns.
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