Italy's Data Protection Authority concluded that Meta failed to adequately notify around 20 million Android users when drawing from their photo galleries. In addition to paying the record fine, the company has 60 days to disable the post-suggestion tool by default and implement standalone consent prompts. Regulators highlighted that the problem persists for individuals running older app versions or those who previously accepted the single permission structure. While artificial intelligence training was excluded from this inquiry, officials noted they may examine a 2026 cloud-processing gallery tool.
Key points
Meta must overhaul its permission framework to secure explicit, separate consent before a…: Meta must overhaul its permission framework to secure explicit, separate consent before accessing stored user media.
Regulators preserved the right to launch fresh inquiries into a newer cloud-based media f…: Regulators preserved the right to launch fresh inquiries into a newer cloud-based media feature rolled out in 2026.
The European regulatory action closely follows a $25 billion American court judgment agai…: The European regulatory action closely follows a $25 billion American court judgment against Meta regarding historical data deceptions.
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Facebook and
Instagram parent Meta has been fined in Italy. Italian regulators have fined the social media giant Meta $887 million for accessing Android smartphone users' photos and videos without their specific consent. The Italian regulator said that the company had accessed Android users' photographs and videos without obtaining their consent or informing them. The fine is among the largest an Italian authority has ever imposed on a technology company.
Italy's Data Protection Authority said that Meta did not properly inform about 20 million smartphone users that it had access to their photos and videos via a feature of the Facebook app.
Meta gets 60-day deadline
In its order, the regulator has given Meta 60 days to disable the feature by default and seek users' consent separately for access.
The charge is related to a feature which suggests photos and videos from a user's phone gallery as ideas for posts. Facebook requested access to users' photo galleries through a single app-wide authorisation. According to the Italian regulator, a preceding notice did not make clear that this would also allow Facebook…
Federal officials ordered the unprecedented ground stop after contractor maintenance overwhelmed critical air traffic control communications, forcing the longest nationwide airspace shutdown since 2001. The severe disruption triggered thousands of travel disruptions nationwide and brought renewed scrutiny to the vulnerability of the country's aging flight infrastructure. Transport leaders are now pointing to the failure as urgent evidence that federal lawmakers must finance comprehensive system overhauls.
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