Norway to fine Meta $100,000 per day unless it fixes privacy breaches

Norway’s Data Protection Authority (DPA) announced on Monday that it would fine Meta one million crowns ($100,000) per day from August 4th until November 3rd, unless it takes remedial action and stops tracking Facebook and Instagram users’ personal data, including their physical locations, for behavioral advertising, as reported by Reuters.

“It is so clear that this is illegal that we need to intervene now and immediately,” said Tobias Judin, Datatilsynet’s Head of International Department, in a press release made public today. 

The regulator has referred its move to the European Data Protection Board, which could make the fine permanent and expand the decision’s impact to Europe. Meanwhile Norway is a member of the European single market, not a member of the EU.

Tobias Judin said that “it would put additional pressure on Meta.” 

The news comes around two weeks after a European court ruled that the social media giant can not harvest the personal data of users for targeted advertising purposes. Earlier this year, the company was also fined $1.3 billion by the Irish Data Protection Commission over its data transfers to the United States.

Meta says it’s reviewing the decision

In a statement to Reuters, a Meta spokesperson said that it’s reviewing the decision, and that it wouldn’t have any immediate impact on its services.

“We continue to constructively engage with the Irish DPC, our lead regulator in the EU, regarding our compliance with its decision,” the spokesperson said.

“The debate around legal bases has been ongoing for some time and businesses continue to face a lack of regulatory certainty in this area.”