Official announcements from Meta or the Irish Data Protection Commission

Meta Fined €251M by EU Over 2018 'View As' Data Breach Affecting 29 Million Users

Dec 17, 2024, 03:20 PM

Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, has been fined €251 million ($263 million) by the Irish Data Protection Commission for a 2018 security breach that affected approximately 29 million users worldwide, including about 3 million in the European Union. The breach exploited vulnerabilities in Facebook's 'View As' feature, allowing hackers to access users' personal information. This fine, resulting from two inquiries into Meta's compliance with EU data protection regulations, represents the third penalty in three years imposed by European authorities on the company. Meta has stated it intends to appeal the decision. Data Protection Commission Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle commented that the vulnerabilities caused a grave risk of misuse of users' data.