CNBC reports that the Irish Data Protection Commission imposed a total fine of more than $400 million on Meta, parent company of Facebook, Wednesday after finding that the company's advertising and data handling practices violated the European Unions privacy laws.
According to DPC, Meta should be fined 210 million euro ($222.5 million) for violating the General Data Protection Regulation and a further 180 million euro for Instagram's violations of the same regulation.
The Irish privacy regulator ruled that Meta has three months to bring its data processing activities into compliance.
In a statement, Meta said it intended to appeal the decision. Businesses can continue using its platforms to target people with adverts, and the decision does not equate to a prohibition on personalized advertising, it was added.
That's why we strongly disagree with the DPCs final decision, and believe we fully comply with GDPR by relying on Contractual Necessity for behavioral ads given the nature of our services, a spokesperson told CNBC via email.
Such postponement comes after Recall was subjected to several delays since June due to security concerns associated with the feature, which has since been allayed by Microsoft with its assurances of an opt-in experience, a completely encrypted database, and Windows Hello-based authentication.
Aside from enabling surveillance that curtails individuals' privacy rights, the UN cybercrime treaty — which has already been approved by the body's Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime — also requires the gathering and sharing of private internet user data with other countries that could legitimate authoritarian nations' partnerships.