In response to a probe into Instagram’s handling of children’s data, Ireland’s data protection regulator has decided to impose a record fine of 405 million euros ($402 million) on the social network.
According to a spokeswoman for Instagram’s parent company, Meta, the firm expects to fight the sanction.
The inquiry, which kicked off in 2020, concentrated on young users between the ages of 13 and 17 who had access to business accounts, which made it easier for the user’s phone number and/or email address to be made public.
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“We adopted our final decision last Friday and it does contain a fine of 405 million euros,” said the spokesperson for Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner, the lead regulator of Instagram and Facebook’s (FB) parent company.
Full details of the decision will be published next week, he said.
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 Instagram disagrees with how the fine was calculated and is carefully reviewing the decision.
The DPC regulates Facebook, Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOGL), 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.
