Meta fined $101.5 million by EU privacy regulator over password security
The lead European Union privacy regulator for Meta hit the tech giant with a fine worth more than $100 million Thursday for failing to properly store some users' passwords.
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) said Meta was fined 91 million euros, equal to nearly $106 million, following a years-long investigation.
Meta informed the commission in 2019 it inadvertently stored certain passwords of its platforms' users in "plaintext," or without protection or encryption, according to the DPC. The passwords were not available to external parties, the DPC said.
“It is widely accepted that user passwords should not be stored in plaintext, considering the risks of abuse that arise from persons accessing such data," DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a statement.
The Irish watchdog handed down the fine as Meta's lead privacy regulator in the European Union since the tech company's headquarters is based in Dublin.
Meta, in a statement to The Hill, said a security review found a "subset" of Facebook users' passwords were "temporarily logged in a readable format."
The tech giant said it immediately acted to fix the error in 2019 and no evidence suggests the passwords were abused or accessed improperly.
A Meta spokesperson added the company "engaged constructively" with the DCP throughout the probe.
This is just the latest fine to hit Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. In 2022, the Dublin-based watchdog fined the company the equivalent of about 405 million euros — or $402 million at the time — for violating data protection laws, specifically related to children's privacy on Instagram.
Last year, the EU slapped Meta with a $1.3 billion privacy fine and ordered the platform to stop transferring users' information across the Atlantic. Earlier last year, Meta's chat app, WhatsApp, was ordered to pay 5.5 million euros ($5.9 million) for forcing users to permit their personal data to be used to provide “service improvements and security."
—Updated at 3:57 p.m.
Date: | |
Tag: | European Union |
Topics
-
ABC News - Tech
Meta hit with $102 million privacy fine from European Union over 2019 password security lapse
Meta was punished with a 91 million euro fine from the social media giant’s European Union privacy regulator over a security lapse involving passwords for Facebook users8 hours ago -
The Hill - Politics
GOP rift opens over Social Security bill push
Presented by NFIB — A bipartisan effort to force a vote on legislation that includes reforms for Social Security is exposing some rifts in the House GOP conference. {beacon} Business & Economy ...23 hours ago -
Inc. - Business
Will Harris or Trump Regulate AI?
Regulation will only happen if Congress passes it. That probably takes a crisis.11 hours ago - Donald Trump -
ESPN - Sports
Sources: Saints' Boyd fined $4K for hit on Smith
Saints rookie defensive tackle Khristian Boyd has been fined $4,600 for his hit on Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith.41 minutes ago -
BBC News - Top stories
Regulator said investigating Harrods doctors was not in public interest
Women who worked at Harrods say they underwent medicals, including invasive sexual health tests.8 hours ago -
BBC News - Top stories
Microsoft re-launches ‘privacy nightmare’ AI screenshot tool
It says it has listened to concerns about the tool, which continuously screenshots online activity.4 hours ago - Microsoft
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
Israel seeks decisive blow with attack targeting Nasrallah
Israel on Friday sought to deal a decisive blow to Hezbollah by targeting the Iranian-backed group’s long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah, underscoring its willingness to escalate warfare in the ...33 minutes ago - Israel -
The Hill - Politics
Watch live: Trump hosts town hall in southern Michigan
Former President Trump will continue his battleground tour Friday in Michigan, hosting a town hall in a suburb of Detroit a day after absentee ballots were first mailed out. The economy and the ...34 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
Watch live: Harris visits southern border
Vice President Harris will make a campaign stop Friday in southern Arizona, giving remarks from a town along the U.S.-Mexico border. During the visit to Douglas, Ariz., the Democratic presidential ...34 minutes ago - Kamala Harris -
The Hill - Politics
Evening Report — Harris the border hawk?
🌀 Plus: Death toll rises from Hurricane Helene {beacon} View Evening Report © AP Harris to strike hawkish tone at Southern border Vice President Harris will strike a hawkish tone on illegal ...44 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
More than 3 million without power after Helene landfall
More than 3 million Americans in the Southeast reported power outages related to Hurricane Helene on Friday, with states on the eastern seaboard from Florida to Virginia reporting more than 100,000 ...59 minutes ago