Facebook Is Fined IDR 118 Billion By Italy For Not Being Transparent

Facebook illustration (Irvan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Italian Competition Supervisory Agency or (Autorità Garante Della Concorrenza e del Mercato/AGCM) has imposed a fine of 7 million euros or approximately IDR 118 billion to Facebook. The fine was given in order for Facebook to improve its commercial practices in using users' data.

Cited from Reuters, Facebook is considered not properly inform about the collection and use of their users' data. In November 2018, Facebook was also fined 5 million euros and asked them to publish notifications for users in Italy.

"The current investigation has proven that ... (the company) has not published an amended statement and has not stopped their established unfair practices", the AGCM said in a statement on Wednesday, February 17.

Given the economic value of data for Facebook, it says that users should be in a position to decide whether it should be used or not.

So far, Facebook and Instagram have been asked to present a new notification window requesting permission from users to obtain data in order to design personalized ads.

In addition, Facebook will also provide users to "support businesses that depend on advertising to reach consumers".

Meanwhile, Facebook believes that this data is important and needed. So, according to Facebook, Apple's privacy policy will make it difficult for the ad industry and small businesses to get more users.