THERE’S THE BILL

Meta Slapped With Over $400 Million Fine for Targeted Ads

The ruling found Meta illegally forced users to green light personalized and targeted ads.

After allegedly violating European Union rules by illegally forcing users to greenlight personalized and targeted ads, Meta was hit with a $414 million fine, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said on Wednesday, according to Axios. Facebook and Instagram’s parent company was hit with two complaints in 2018 that argued it did not comply with the General Data Protection Regulation rules, according to Axios. To keep their accounts, Meta reportedly had users accept new terms and conditions that let their data be used for the ads, Axios reported. Meta was ordered to pay about $223 million for its Facebook violations and about $191 million for its Instagram violations. However, Meta, who announced a plan to appeal on Wednesday in a blog post, argued its platforms are “inherently personalized.” “We strongly believe our approach respects GDPR, and we're therefore disappointed by these decisions and intend to appeal both the substance of the rulings and the fines,” Meta said.