Meta: Users’ data leaked on hacking website, Ireland fined Meta about $270 million.

Ireland has taken action against multinational company Meta after the data of more than half a billion users was leaked on the hacking website. The country’s data regulator has fined Meta 265 million euros ($275 million). Meta is the parent organization of subsidiaries like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Indeed, the case was related to Facebook’s search of an aggregated database of personal data that had been made available online. Its investigation was started in April 2021. Now this fine has been imposed after the completion of the investigation. Facebook was also ordered by the government to take several corrective measures.

At the same time, Meta said that it has fully cooperated with the investigation conducted by the Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC) of Ireland and has changed its system. The change also included the removal of features that used phone numbers.

This is the fourth time that Ireland’s Data Privacy Commissioner has imposed a fine against a Meta company. The DPC is also Meta’s lead privacy regulator within the European Union (EU) and has also made inquiries to 13 other social media groups.

Being the headquarters of the European Union in Ireland, the DPC regulates Apple, Google, TikTok and other technology giants. Forty such firms are currently under investigation, including 13 linked to Meta.

Ireland’s data regulator has the power to impose fines of up to four per cent on global revenues of companies introduced in 2018 under the European Union’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) one stop shop.