Italy: Watchdog fines Meta for unfair commercial practices

Rome: Italy’s antitrust regulator AGCM has fined Facebook and Instagram owner Meta (META.O), opens new tab for what it described as unfair commercial practices, the watchdog said on Wednesday.

AGCM said it found that Instagram users were not properly informed about the use of their personal data for commercial purposes, the regulator’s statement said.

It also said that Facebook and Instagram users were not given proper information on how they could contest suspensions of accounts.

Meta has already addressed the problems, the regulator said.

“We disagree with the Italian competition authority’s decision and are assessing our options,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson added that since August 2023 Meta has implemented several changes for Italian users that address the authority’s concerns, including increased transparency on how the company uses data to show advertising on Instagram.