Meta Faces €251M GDPR Fine Over 2018 Facebook Security Breach
The Incident That Triggered Massive Penalties
Meta (formerly Facebook) has been hit with a substantial €251 million (~$263M) fine by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) for a 2018 security breach affecting approximately 3 million EU users. This enforcement action stems from vulnerabilities in Facebook’s platform that exposed sensitive user data.
Key Details of the Security Failure
- Timeline: The breach originated in July 2017 but wasn’t exploited until September 2018
- Affected Users: 29 million accounts globally, including 3 million in the EU/EEA
- Vulnerability: A bug in Facebook’s “View As” feature combined with the “Happy Birthday Composer” allowed unauthorized access
- Data Exposed:
- Personal identifiers (names, emails, phone numbers)
- Demographic information (gender, religion, birth dates)
- Employment details and location data
- Timeline posts and group memberships
- Children’s personal information
Breakdown of the GDPR Violations
The DPC issued two separate enforcement decisions:
Inadequate Breach Notification (€11M fine)
- Meta failed to provide complete documentation
- Incident reporting didn’t meet GDPR standards
Data Protection Design Failures (€240M fine)
- Insufficient safeguards against unintended processing
- Violation of GDPR’s “privacy by design” principles
Regulatory Perspective
DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle emphasized:
“This enforcement highlights how design failures can expose individuals to serious risks, particularly concerning sensitive data like religious beliefs, political views, and sexual orientation that users may wish to disclose selectively.”
Notable Aspects of the Ruling
- First major Meta decision under new DPC leadership (Drs. Hogan and Sunderland)
- No objections raised by peer EU regulators - a departure from previous contentious cases
- Decision finalized through GDPR cooperation mechanism in July 2024
Meta’s Response
The company stated:
“We addressed this 2018 incident immediately upon discovery, notified affected users and regulators, and have since implemented industry-leading protective measures across our platforms.”
Contextualizing Meta’s GDPR Penalties
This marks another significant GDPR fine for Meta, following:
- A €91 million penalty in September 2024 for storing passwords in plaintext
- Multiple other substantial fines since GDPR implementation in 2018
The ruling underscores ongoing challenges tech giants face in complying with Europe’s stringent data protection regulations, particularly regarding system design and breach transparency requirements.
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