Meta has been fined €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) by regulators in Ireland, one of the biggest sanctions for breaches of user privacy.
The decision means that Mark Zuckerberg's company and its subsidiaries have now been ordered to pay billions of dollars for data transgressions, particularly since the EU's introduced general data protection regulation in 2018.
Here are the biggest penalties handed out by global regulators in the last decade:
Facebook – fined $5 billion in 2019
The social networking firm was fined by the US Federal Trade Commission in 2019 after allowing companies such as Cambridge Analytica to harvest personal information of more than 80 millions users.
The $5 billion penalty against Facebook was the largest imposed on any company by US regulators for violating consumers’ privacy.
The settlement also ordered Facebook to restructure its approach to privacy from the corporate board-level down, and established mechanisms to ensure executives were accountable for privacy decisions.
Meta Platforms – fined $1.3 billion in 2023
Meta's latest fine of €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) was for transferring EU user data to the US in breach of a previous court ruling.
The penalty, which is the biggest in GDPR history, was levied by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) on behalf of EU regulators after a three-year probe into the social media giant.
Facebook owner Meta said it would appeal against the “unjustified and unnecessary” fine.
Didi Global – fined $1.19 billion in 2021
Chinese regulators issued a billion dollar penalty against the ride-hailing app, Didi Global, in 2021.
The company was fined 8 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) on charges it mishandled customer information.
It came after the ruling party moved against private sector Chinese tech success stories by launching anti-monopoly and data security investigations.
Amazon – fined $790 million in 2021
Amazon was ordered to pay a $790 million penalty after a court in Luxembourg ruled that the tech giant had engaged in “non-compliance with general data processing principles”.
The country refused to give details of its decision at the time, only providing a brief statement after Amazon revealed the fine in its regulatory filings.
The online retail giant had been sued by a European consumer group claiming personal data was collected for advertisement targeting without permission.
However, Amazon denied any breach and promised to appeal. It is unclear whether the fine has been paid.
Instagram – fined $429 million September 2022
Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner ruled that Instagram had violated the privacy of children and ordered the company to pay €405 million ($429 million).
The complaint stated that some children upgraded to business accounts to access analytics tools such as profile visits, without realising this made more of their data public.
Following the decision, Meta said it planned to appeal.
The DPC, along with the European Data Protection Board, also fined WhatsApp €225 million in 2021 after finding it didn’t properly inform EU citizens about how it collected and used their data, and how that data was shared with Meta.
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Read more about the coronavirus
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIGHT%20CARD
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The%20specs
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More on animal trafficking
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203S%20Money%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20London%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Zhiznevsky%2C%20Eugene%20Dugaev%20and%20Andrei%20Dikouchine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%245.6%20million%20raised%20in%20total%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Teaching in coronavirus times
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Factfile on Garbine Muguruza:
Name: Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
World ranking: 15 (will rise to 5 on Monday)
Date of birth: October 8, 1993
Place of birth: Caracas, Venezuela
Place of residence: Geneva, Switzerland
Height: 6ft (1.82m)
Career singles titles: 4
Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)
Career prize money: $13,928,719
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
About%20My%20Father
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
