Meta Platforms Hit with $14M Penalty Over Data Collection Misstep Down Under

Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms, has taken a financial hit down under, with the Australian judiciary slapping them with an impressive US $14 million fine. The legal rebuke comes after the tech giant was found guilty of harvesting user data through Onavo, a now-defunct smartphone application.

Australia's Federal Court handed down the decision following a civil lawsuit brought forth by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The suit alleges that Meta misled users with its Onavo application, marketed as a privacy safeguard. However, the app was subtly collecting user data, a stark contrast to its intended purpose.

Onavo, the brainchild of Meta's subsidiary Facebook Israel, was operating as a sly data harvester, collecting information on users' locations, app usage frequency, and browsing history. The surreptitiously collected data was then used by Meta for advertising purposes. The accusation was confirmed by Judge Wendy Abraham in her written verdict, as detailed in the report.

In response to the hefty fine, Meta underlined that the ACCC acknowledged its inadvertent misleading of users, shedding light on the company's plans over the past few years to heighten transparency and give users more control over their data.

This latest legal sting marks the closing of one chapter in Meta's long-winding Australian legal saga over user data handling. The backdrop of this tale includes an infamous scandal tying Meta to data analytics company Cambridge Analytica during the contentious 2016 US presidential race.

Yet, the drama is far from over for Meta in the Australian courts. An ongoing civil court case is looming, brought by the Office of the Information Commissioner. This case delves into Meta's involvement with Cambridge Analytica within Australian borders, bringing yet another data privacy challenge for the tech giant.

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