Ireland:Facebook has been hit with its third-biggest fine for breaching EU data laws

IRELAND: After setting aside hundreds of millions of euros to cover the rising expense of regulatory examinations into its social media networks, Facebook owner Meta Platforms is now facing a third significant penalties for breaking EU data laws in Ireland.

Before a sizable fine against Facebook's Instagram service for violating children's privacy, which will be enforced this month after European supervisors mediated a dispute over the matter, further steps in a significant Facebook case have been taken. A year earlier, the company's WhatsApp division was penalised €225 million for "serious" privacy violations.

Due to Facebook's European headquarters being in Dublin, Helen Dixon, the Irish data protection commissioner, has regularly clashed with European officials over the sanctions she has recommended. More than 2,000 people work for the organisation in Ireland.

On a complaint from a group led by Austrian activist Max Schrems, Ms. Dixon recently filed a dossier to the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), a body based in Brussels that settles conflicts between national regulators.

Transparency issues

In response to her draught ruling on that complaint, which centres on the legal justification Facebook uses to process personal data and transparency issues, Ms. Dixon had received "a number of" complaints from peers.

In a another case, Instagram faces a sizable fine for "the public exposure of children's email addresses and phone numbers" using its business account feature and "a public-by-default option for children's personal profiles" using the app.

Late in July, the EDPB made a legally binding ruling on Instagram to resolve challenges made by "several" of Ms. Dixon's rivals to "the legal foundation for processing and the determination of the fine." The fine has to be applied within a month. The office of Ms. Dixon has not offered any commentary on the choice.

When questioned about Instagram and the Schrems case, Facebook stated: "The safety and privacy of our community on Facebook and Instagram is everything to us."

The business continued, "We're continuing to fully cooperate with the IDPC on their ongoing enquiries," referring to Ms. Dixon's office. Case

Schrems Case

The European board responded to inquiries by stating that it was evaluating the accuracy of Ms. Dixon's file in the Schrems case.

According to the board, "We can now confirm that the EDPB has received a formal submission with reference to Facebook, which is the first step in starting the dispute resolution system."

The EDPB submission "process is underway," according to Ms Dixon's spokeswoman, who declined to provide any details. In these situations, the EDPB must reach a settlement within two months.

Ms. Dixon's suggested fine of between $30 and $50 million was upped to €225 million when the EDPB examined the WhatsApp case. That decision was challenged by WhatsApp.

In addition to the €302 million previously allotted, Meta later set aside €724 million to cover administrative fines. This shows the significant potential costs associated with investigations under the General Data Protection Regulation, a set of EU privacy laws that aims to tighten control over how personal data is used by businesses.