The Australian Federal Court has ruled that Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook, must pay fines totaling £20 million ($14 million) for misleadingly collecting user data through a smartphone application that was advertised as a privacy protection tool but failed to disclose its data collection actions.
In addition to the fine, the Federal Court of Australia has ordered Meta to pay £400 thousand in legal costs to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the entity responsible for initiating the civil action against the company.
This penalty is a significant outcome in Meta’s legal entanglements in Australia, particularly concerning concerns over the mishandling of user data and its connection to the infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal.
