Europe’s most important data protection organization in Ireland has fined Instagram €405 million for improperly processing the data of 13- to 17-year-olds.

It all started with the opening of the investigation in 2020. The investigation focused on users between the ages of 13 and 17 who were allowed to manage business accounts that facilitated the publication of the user’s phone number or email address. The conclusion was that Instagram violated the GDPR regulation.

A 2019 study found that more than 60 million users aged 18 and over could have been given the opportunity to convert their personal account to a business, and many chose to do so because they had access to more statistical data (such as “metrics”), related to how many people see different posts.

Instagram says it cooperated with the Commission for Data Protection during the investigation, but disagrees with how the amount of the fine was calculated. Instagram says the investigation was based on old settings that were later changed to keep all sensitive information private.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission is investigating various breaches of EU data protection rules and has previously fined other companies in the Meta group, such as Facebook and WhatsApp. The fine is now higher than before.

The Irish organization controls at EU level several technology giants that have their European headquarters in Ireland, companies such as Apple, Google and Meta.

In July 2021, Amazon was fined €746 million in the European Union for non-compliance with confidential data, the largest fine ever imposed in the EU for GDPR violations.

Sources: Guardian, Washington Post