Italy's data protection agency penalized Meta for accessing personal photos and videos through a Facebook suggestion tool without explicit user permission. The feature accessed gallery content belonging to roughly 20 million Android users across the country. In response, regulators ordered the tech giant to disable the default setting within 60 days and establish an independent consent mechanism. Meta intends to appeal the decision, arguing that users already retain full control through standard device settings.
Key points
Meta plans to challenge the Italian enforcement decision on the grounds that the feature…: Meta plans to challenge the Italian enforcement decision on the grounds that the feature relies on standard device permissions.
The regulatory investigation determined that approximately 20 million Italian Android use…: The regulatory investigation determined that approximately 20 million Italian Android users had their media accessed without consent.
The inquiry concluded without resolving allegations regarding whether the accessed media…: The inquiry concluded without resolving allegations regarding whether the accessed media was used to train artificial intelligence models.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
A Meta spokesperson said the company would appeal, strongly disagreeing with the authority's decision and calling the fine "disproportionate".
MILAN: Italy's data protection agency said on Saturday (Nov 14) it had fined Meta Platforms €805 million (US$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 said.
A Meta spokesperson said the company would appeal, strongly disagreeing with the authority's decision and calling the fine "disproportionate".
"This is a simple feature that helps people share photos and videos on Facebook. Users must grant permission on their device before the feature can operate, and they can change that permission at any time in their settings," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The investigation, which began in 2025, did not cover the possible use of…
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