Irish regulator fines Instagram record 405 mn euros for violating children's privacy

Dublin, Sep 07: Ireland's Data Protection Commission has fined Meta-owned social media platform Instagram a record 402 million dollars for breaching regulations on the handling of children's data.

The DPC said in a statement said, the full details of the decision will be published next week. The DPC launched an investigation in late 2020 into concerns about how the platform handles children's personal data.

"We adopted our final decision last Friday and it does contain a fine of 405 million euro," said the spokesperson for Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), the lead regulator of Instagram's parent company Meta Platforms Inc. Full details of the decision will be published next week, he said.

The probe centred on the appropriateness of Instagram profile and account settings for children, and the firm's responsibility to protect the data protection rights of children as vulnerable persons.

It was conducted under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) -- the EU charter of data rights which came into effect in May 2018. The GDPR gives data regulators the power to impose stiff fines for breaches. As Instagram is owned by Meta, which has its European headquarters in Dublin, it falls to the DPC to enforce the regulations.

Instagram updated its settings over a year ago and has since released new features to keep teens safe and their information private, the Meta spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that Instagram disagreed with the way the fine was calculated.

The DPC regulates Facebook, Apple, Google and other technology giants due to the location of their EU headquarters in Ireland. It has opened over a dozen investigations into Meta companies, including Facebook and WhatsApp.

WhatsApp was last year fined a record 225 million euros for failing to conform with EU data rules in 2018.