The Italian data watchdog penalized Meta €805 million ($887 million) after finding the Facebook app accessed Android users' photos and videos without their permission. The unauthorized access occurred through a feature built to suggest potential media for users to post. To comply, Meta must turn off the feature by default within 60 days and implement a separate mechanism to request user consent. The investigation was originally launched in 2025, though Meta denied utilizing the obtained gallery data to train its artificial intelligence models.
Key points
Regulators determined that Facebook accessed private Android photos and videos without ob…: Regulators determined that Facebook accessed private Android photos and videos without obtaining prior user permission or awareness.
The watchdog did not assess AI training claims but may separately investigate a newer 202…: The watchdog did not assess AI training claims but may separately investigate a newer 2026 cloud-processing feature.
Meta must fundamentally alter the feature's workflow by securing explicit, separate conse…: Meta must fundamentally alter the feature's workflow by securing explicit, separate consent from users before accessing device galleries.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Italy's data protection agency said on Saturday it had fined Meta Platforms €805 million ($887 million) after finding the company had accessed Android users' photographs and videos without obtaining their consent or informing them.
Meta had access to Android users' photos and videos through a Facebook app feature that suggested content from users' personal galleries that they could post, the authority said in a statement
Meta has 60 days to disable the feature by default and seek users' consent separately, it added
Meta was not immediately available for comment
The investigation, which began in 2025, did not cover the possible use of the content to train artificial intelligence models, a practice Meta denied, the authority said
It added that it reserved the right to assess separately a new feature, launched in 2026, that allows content from users' galleries to be processed in the cloud
The fine is equivalent to about 0.47% of the group's global revenue, the authority said
($1 = 0.9074 euros)
Meta had access to Android users' photos and videos through a Facebook app feature that suggested content…
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