The Norwegian Data Protection Authority said to Reuters that Facebook-owned Meta Platforms will fine $98,500 a day for privacy breaches as of August 14, a decision that may have broader European implications.
The regulator, Datatilsynet, said on July 17 that the company would be fined if it did not address the privacy breaches identified by the regulator, and Meta Platforms did not promptly respond to a request for comment, according to gadgets360.
Datatilsynet said Meta cannot harvest user data in Norway, such as users' physical sites, and use it to target ads on them, called behavioral advertising, a common business model for large tech companies.
She had until August 4 to prove to the regulator that she had addressed the issue.
"As of next Monday, a daily fine of $98,500 will begin," said Tobias Guden, Head of International at Datatilsynet for Reuters.
The fine will continue until November 3, where Datatilsynet can make it permanent by referring its decision to the European Data Protection Council, who has the authority to do so if it approves the decision of the Norwegian regulator.
Meta said last week that it intends to ask EU users for their consent before allowing companies to target ads based on what they see on its services like Facebook and Instagram.
Jodin said this step was not enough, and Meta had to stop processing the personal data immediately, until this consent mechanism was triggered.
Norway is not a member of the EU but is part of the European single market.
