The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Meta €251 million for a data breach that affected the personal data of approximately 29 million Facebook users worldwide.
The incident, which was first revealed in September 2018, involved data such as full names, email addresses, phone numbers, workplace information, birth dates and other similar details. The investigation found that the breach occurred due to unauthorized third-party use of Facebook user tokens (identifiers).
The Commission took into account that Meta had addressed the issue but emphasized that the incident posed a “serious risk of abuse.” It is expected that Meta will appeal the decision.
The Irish regulator has previously imposed fines on the company totaling €2.8 billion, but Meta has paid only €17 million, as the remaining amount is being contested in court.
Additionally, in November, the European Commission fined Meta Platforms nearly €800 million for violations related to Facebook Marketplace.
