Italy fines Meta $1.14 billion over Android users’ data access

MILAN - Italy’s data protection agency said on Nov 14 it had fined Meta Platforms €805 million (S$1.14 billion) after finding the company had accessed Android users’ photographs and videos without obtaining their consent or informing them.Meta had access to Android users’ photos and videos through a Facebook app feature that suggested content from users’ personal galleries that they could post, the authority said in a statement.The tech company has 60 days to disable the feature by default and seek users’ consent separately, it addedMeta was not immediately available for comment.The investigation, which began in 2025, did not cover the possible use of the content to train artificial intelligence models, a practice Meta denied, the authority said.It added that it reserved the right to assess separately a new feature, launched in 2026, that allows content from users’ galleries to be processed in the cloud.The fine is equivalent to about 0.47% of the group’s global revenue, the authority said. REUTERS