Meta Fined €251m for 2018 Data Breach Affecting 29 Million Users
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has been slapped with a €251m ($263m) fine by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) for a 2018 data breach. The incident exposed sensitive information of 29 million users, including full names, email addresses, and more.
The breach occurred due to Meta's violation of Article 33 and 25 of the GDPR. The company failed to provide a full breach notification, document the incident properly, follow data protection principles in system design, and limit data processing to necessary purposes. The specific employee or department responsible for these lapses remains undisclosed.
The DPC highlighted that inadequate data protection can expose individuals to serious risks and harms, such as potential misuse of sensitive data. Around three million EU-based accounts were affected by the breach, which exposed personal data including religion, gender, posts on timelines, group memberships, and even children's personal data.
Meta has been fined €251m ($263m) for the 2018 data breach. The company's failure to adhere to data protection principles has resulted in a significant penalty. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of robust data protection measures to safeguard user information.
