Meta, the parent company of social networking sites Facebook and Instagram, has been fined €390 million for breaking EU data rules.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) said that the way the company asked permission to use data for adverts on its websites was unlawful.

Following two separate investigations relating to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the DPC fined Meta Ireland €210 million for breaches of the GDPR relating to Facebook and €180 million for breaches in relation to Instagram.

Meta has been given three months by the DPC to change how it obtains and uses data to target people for advertising and may potentially have to change how its business operates.

The DPC investigation began in 2018 after users in Austria and Belgium were forced to agree to updated terms of service after GDPR was introduced.

The complainants argued that this meant Meta was "forcing" them to consent to their data being used in targeted ads - and this breached the GDPR.

In a statement on its website Meta said: “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.”

“These decisions do not prevent personalised advertising on our platform. Advertisers can continue to use our platforms to reach potential customers, grow their business and create new markets.”

Meta recently received a warning from the European Commission for breaching antitrust laws in how it operates Facebook Marketplace. The Commission could impose a fine of up to 10 per cent of its annual global turnover should there be sufficient evidence that the Facebook company is infringing EU rules.

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