Meta Fined €446M for Privacy Breaches; BetterHelp, TikTok Face Scrutiny
Meta faces a €400m fine in Ireland and a €5m penalty in France for violating data protection laws. Meanwhile, BetterHelp is in hot water for sharing customer data, and TikTok has been fined for cookie handling issues. Meta is adjusting its approach to behavioral advertising, while states in the US are implementing their own data protection laws.
Meta's Irish branch was fined almost €400m for breaching EU privacy rules in data collection and handling. The company was found to have unlawfully forced users to accept personalized advertising under its terms and conditions. In France, TikTok was fined €5m for violating European data protection laws through its approach to cookie handling.
BetterHelp, a mental health platform, has come under fire for sharing customer data with social media companies, despite promising data privacy. This has raised concerns about the trust consumers place in such services.
In response to these developments, Meta is changing its approach to processing information for behavioral advertising. The company is likely to benefit from building a data-driven relationship with users that respects their privacy and gains their explicit permission.
Several US states are taking action to protect consumer data. California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Iowa have or will soon enforce their own data protection laws, similar to the EU's GDPR.
The fines imposed on Meta and TikTok serve as a reminder that businesses must respect consumer privacy and comply with data protection laws. BetterHelp's data sharing scandal underscores the importance of trust in consumer relationships. As advertisers value data quality over quantity, Meta's shift towards first-party data could benefit both the company and consumers in the long term. Andrew Bosworth, a Meta management member, has advocated for full transparency regarding the company's data practices.
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