Meta Fined $887 Million in Italy Over Android Gallery Photos and Videos on Facebook

The Italian Data Protection Authority announced the penalty on Saturday, citing a violation of a European privacy directive incorporated into Italian law. The regulator determined that the feature, called 'Get suggestions from gallery when browsing Facebook,' failed to meet the requirement for 'free and informed consent.' This directive protects smartphones as part of a person's private sphere.

Investigators found that the feature was enabled by default and that Facebook requested gallery access through a single permission covering multiple app functions with different purposes. This lack of transparency and separate consent mechanisms led to the penalty. The authority stated that Meta's 'lack of cooperation' with the investigation factored into the final amount.

Meta has been given 60 days to disable the feature and seek separate consent for its use. The company, represented by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, has challenged Italy's jurisdiction over the fine. The penalty amounts to approximately 0.47% of the group's global turnover. Italy has about 20 million Android users, the agency said.