Norway Penalizes Meta Platforms Inc., for Violating European Data Privacy Rules

JAKARTA - On Wednesday, August 23, Norway's data regulator informed the court that Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, was violating European data privacy rules in Norway, in a case that has potentially wider implications in Europe.

Since August 14, Meta has been fined one million kroner ($1.4 billion) per day for violating user privacy by collecting user data and using it to target ads to them. This business model, known as behavioral advertising, is commonly adopted by giant technology companies.

The owner of Facebook and Instagram is seeking a temporary banning order against the order, which imposes daily fines for the next three months.

"The fine is valid because Meta does not comply with the General European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)," said Hanne Inger Bjurstroem Jahren, a lawyer representing regulator Datatilsynet.

"There is no discussion as to whether the company violated this rule... Meta is currently in violation of the GDPR rules," he told the court, speaking on the final day of his two-day trial.

On Tuesday, August 22nd, Meta notified the court that it had committed to seeking consent from users and that Datatilsynet used an unnecessarily "expedited" process and did not give the company sufficient time to respond.

The regulator has said it is unclear when and how Meta will seek consent from users, and in the meantime, user rights are being violated.

Datatilsynet can make the fine permanent by referring its decision to the European Data Protection Council, which has the authority to do so if it agrees with the decision of the Norwegian regulator.

It could also extend the scope of the decision across Europe. However, Datatilsynet has yet to take this step. Norway is not a member of the European Union but is part of the European single market.