Meta Fined €91 Million by EU Regulator Over Password Storage Breach
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has been hit with a significant fine of €91 million ($102 million) by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) due to a serious breach of password security. This verdict stems from an investigation into the company's failure to properly safeguard user passwords, which involved storing up to 600 million passwords in plain text. The fine reflects a violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and highlights ongoing concerns about Meta's data management practices following a 2019 security lapse. The hefty penalty is intended to hold Meta accountable for its lax password safety and to enforce stricter compliance with privacy regulations across the EU.
Reuters, Data Protection Commission, BBC.com, CNET, 9to5Mac, Ars Technica, The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Euronews, TechCrunch