"Serious risk"

Data leak: Ireland fines Meta millions

The data leak affected 29 million Facebook users worldwide.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Koshiro)

After six years of investigations, the Irish data protection authority has fined Meta for a data leak. The Facebook parent company must pay 251 million euros, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced on Tuesday. 

According to the information, Meta had informed the DPC about a data leak that affected 29 million Facebook users worldwide and three million in the EU. Attackers had access to personal data such as user name, email address, telephone number, location, place of work, date of birth, religion and gender. The problem was fixed shortly after it was discovered, it said.

"Serious risk"
"This enforcement action demonstrates how the failure to integrate privacy requirements throughout the design and development cycle can expose individuals to very serious risks and harms, including a threat to individuals' fundamental rights and freedoms," DPC Vice President Graham Doyle commented on the ruling.

Facebook profiles could contain information on topics such as religious or political beliefs, sex life or orientation and similar topics that a user may only wish to disclose in certain circumstances. "Through the unauthorized disclosure of profile information, the vulnerabilities behind this breach created a serious risk of misuse of this type of data."

The DPC is the lead supervisor of the US internet company within the European Union, as Meta's European headquarters are based in Ireland.