SecurityWeek reported that Italy's data protection authority fined Meta €805 million ($887 million) on Saturday. The authority said the fine is about 0.47% of the group's global turnover. It covers a Facebook feature called "Get suggestions from gallery when browsing Facebook". The feature used photos and videos from Android users' galleries. The authority says Meta did not get specific consent or explain the use well enough. It says this breaks a European privacy rule that is part of Italian law.
The authority said investigators found the feature was on by default. They also found Facebook asked for gallery access through one permission that covered several app functions with different purposes. The fine went to Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, which disputed Italy's jurisdiction. The authority said Meta's lack of cooperation with the investigation affected the penalty. Meta has 60 days to turn the feature off and ask for separate consent. The sources do not say whether Meta will appeal.
One reading of this case: consent is judged by purpose, not by the permission prompt. A phone prompt is a single yes or no, so one tap can cover every function that uses it. A feature built on one broad permission may carry legal risk. Executives can ask product and vendor teams three questions. Which features share one permission? Which are on by default? Can a user withdraw consent for one purpose only?