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NEW DELHI: Italy’s data protection agency has imposed a fine of 805 million euros, or approximately ₹8,390 crore, on Meta Platforms for accessing the private photos, videos, and related data of Android smartphone users without explicit consent. According to the regulator, Facebook failed to properly inform users about the purpose for which their phone gallery content was being accessed. Meta has disagreed with the ruling and announced plans to appeal, calling both the regulator’s assessment and the penalty disproportionate.
Vague Permissions for Gallery Suggestions
The penalty centers on Facebook’s gallery suggestion feature, introduced in 2023, which scans a user’s mobile phone gallery to recommend photos and videos when creating social media posts. While the tool was designed to assist users in selecting content, the Italian watchdog determined that the consent mechanism lacked clarity and transparency.
Investigations revealed that the Facebook app relied on a single, blanket permission to access the phone’s gallery across multiple app functionalities. Prior to granting access, users were shown a general notice mentioning the activation of other features. The regulator noted that this notice did not allow users to reasonably understand that granting permission also authorized Facebook to generate post suggestions from their private media files. The agency clarified that access to a mobile gallery cannot be obtained through vague, umbrella terms, ordering Meta to seek separate, explicit consent and inform users how to disable the feature.
Two Crore Android Users Affected
In calculating the fine, the regulator factored in the scale of affected individuals, the duration of the infringement, and a lack of cooperation from Meta during the investigation. Roughly two crore Android users in Italy were impacted by the data access practice. The agency stated that the violation remains ongoing for users who have not updated to the latest version of the application, while also questioning the legal validity of consent obtained from users who had previously approved the arrangement.
The 805 million euro penalty represents roughly 0.4 percent of Meta’s global revenue in 2025, when the company recorded turnover of about 201 billion dollars (₹18.9 lakh crore) and a net profit of 60.5 billion dollars (₹5.7 lakh crore). A Meta spokesperson reiterated that the company fundamentally disagrees with the regulator’s findings and will challenge the excessive penalty through the appeals process.
Escalating Global Scrutiny on Data Privacy
The ruling marks one of the largest fines levied against a major technology company in Italy, trailing only a 2021 antitrust penalty of over 1.1 billion euros against Amazon, which was subsequently reduced to 752 million euros on appeal. Across Europe, regulatory enforcement surrounding user privacy and transparent consent has steadily intensified.
The Italian penalty also follows another major legal setback for Meta in the United States. In the final week of October, a court in New Mexico ordered the social media giant to pay 25 billion dollars, or nearly ₹2.35 lakh crore, for misleading state residents over more than a decade regarding how their personal data was used. Together, these enforcement actions underscore growing regulatory insistence that technology platforms secure clear, feature-specific consent rather than relying on broad privacy policies.
