Italian antitrust watchdog AGCM has imposed a fresh EUR 7 million fine on Facebook for failing to comply with an earlier requirement to correct the improper collection of user data. In November 2018, the regulator fined the US company a total of EUR 5 million for improper commercial practices in its methods of collecting and using personal data, above all its failure to properly inform users of the value of that data. It also asked Facebook to publish an amended statement on the homepage of its Italian site, on the app and on the personal page of each registered user in the country.
However, following an investigation the AGCM said the social media giant “has not published the amended statement and has not ceased the established unfair practice” despite no longer claiming that the service is “free” during the registration process. The watchdog added that users must be given the opportunity to decide whether the data they transfer should be used in view of its economic value to Facebook.
