Norway’s data protection regulator said it will fine Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, 1 million crowns ($100,000) per day for privacy breaches unless it takes remedial action, in a move that could have broader European ramifications.
The Norwegian regulator said it would impose the fine every day from August 4 until November 3, unless Meta takes action, Reuters reported Monday, July 17, 2023.
The Norwegian authority added that Meta in Norway cannot collect data such as users’ locations and use it to target ads to them, a business model common to big tech companies.
“We must take immediate action,” stated Tobias Godin, head of Datacent’s international division, emphasizing the unequivocal illegality of the situation. “Further delay is not an option.”
While Meta said it would review Datacent’s decision, there would be no immediate impact on its services. Datacent has referred its move to the European Data Protection Board, and if the board approves, the fine could become permanent and expand the scope of the decision in Europe. Norway is not a member of the European Union, but it is part of the European single market.
Last May, a record fine of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) was imposed on Facebook owner Meta for transferring data of users in the European Union to the United States, in violation of an earlier court ruling, the Irish regulator announced.
The Irish Data Protection Commission, acting on behalf of the EU, said the European Data Protection Board had ordered it to collect an “administrative fine of €1.2 billion”, and Meta announced it would appeal the decision.
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has been investigating Meta Ireland’s transfer of personal data from the European Union to the United States since 2020.
The panel discovered that META, with its European headquarters situated in Dublin, did not adequately “tackle the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects” as highlighted in a previous ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
In response, Meta said she was “disappointed at being singled out”.She described the ruling as “flawed and unjustified, and sets a dangerous precedent for countless other companies.”
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