Meta faces new legal hurdles in Europe

Social media platforms have often faced issues with European laws, particularly regarding data privacy and tracking. Recently, TikTok had to change its privacy rules to match the new Digital Service Act (DSA). Some time ago, Meta got hit with a $423 million fine from Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, which made the tech company allow EU users to turn off ad tracking.

Now, Meta is facing legal troubles again in Europe, this time in Norway. Starting from August 14, Meta will be fined $97,700 per day for privacy breaches. The fine comes from the Norwegian data regulator, Datatilsynet, and will be in effect until November 3.

With the timeframe and amount of money at stake, the fine might be challenging, even for a tech giant like Meta. As a result, Meta is reaching out to a court in Norway, seeking to put a stop to the fine. A petition for a temporary injunction against the order will be put forth on August 22 during a two-day hearing. Whether the court leans in favor of Meta or not is still up in the air.

Datatilsynet says that Meta can’t gather users’ data in Norway, like their physical locations, and then use it to aim ads at them, known as behavioral advertising. Behavioral advertising is a strategy that tailors online ads to users based on their web activity and interests. It uses data analysis to create personalized ads for better engagement but also raises privacy concerns about user data usage.

The regulator also dangles the possibility of turning the fine into a long-term fixture by passing its judgment to the European Data Protection Board, which has the authority to take such action if it aligns with the Norwegian regulator’s stance. If the board backs this move, it could imply that the decision starts to have an impact across Europe.

In May of this year, the EU slapped Meta with a whopping $1.3 billion fine for breaching privacy rules. It appears that European lawmakers aren’t exactly aiming to be gentle with the big tech giant.