Italy fines Meta 3.5 million euros for unfair commercial practices

Meta has been fined 3.5 million euros in Italy. The Italian competition regulator said the company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, was guilty of unfair commercial practices.

The Italian regulator AGCM stilt that Instagram users were not provided with clear information about the collection and use of their data for commercial purposes when creating their accounts. In addition, the AGCM blames Meta for the fact that users could hardly contact Facebook and Instagram if their account was temporarily closed. In addition, both platforms did not properly indicate whether the temporary suspension was based on an automated or human decision.

The AGCM emphasizes that both problems have now been resolved. Nevertheless, Meta receives a fine of 3.5 million euros. The Facebook parent company does not agree with that decision, a spokesperson said Reuters. Options for possible next steps are still being examined.