Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has come under scrutiny for its advertising practices and faced several fines this year. Italy has recently become the latest country to impose a fine on the company for violating advertising rules. Specifically, Meta has been fined for promoting gambling-related advertisements, which is a breach of the ban on advertising gambling.
Reuters reported that Meta was fined 5.85 million euros (approximately 6.45 million dollars) for violations related to profiles and accounts on Facebook and Instagram. This fine also extends to sponsored content that promotes betting or cash prize games.
Previous Fines on Meta
* In November, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) extended a ban on “behavioral advertising” initially imposed by Norway, potentially subjecting the company to fines up to 4% of its global revenue. Meta Platforms uses Facebook and Instagram for advertising and has resisted efforts to limit controversial advertising practices.
* In January, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) imposed a fine of 390 million euros (about 413 million dollars) on Meta for its handling of user data and violating European Union data protection rules, which could jeopardize parts of its advertising business.
* Meta was fined 210 million euros (approximately 222 million dollars) for violating EU privacy rules through Facebook practices and an additional 180 million euros (about 191 million dollars) for similar practices on Instagram. The agency stated that Meta’s handling of user data in 2018 allowed it to process user data for targeted advertising.
Earlier this month, AGCOM, the Italian Communications Authority, also fined Google’s YouTube and Amazon’s Twitch for breaching the ban. YouTube and Twitch were fined 2.25 million euros and 900,000 euros, respectively, for similar violations.
These fines highlight ongoing concerns about Meta’s advertising practices and their compliance with international regulations on data privacy and advertising standards.
Despite its ventures into hardware, Meta primarily relies on advertising for revenue, which accounted for 97.5% of its revenue in 2022.
