Facebook-Parent Meta To Continue Facing Daily Fines Of $93,200, Norway Court Rules In Privacy Case

The owners of Facebook and Instagram had initially sought a temporary injunction against the penalty imposed by the Norwegian data regulator, Datatilsynet.

In a recent ruling, a Norwegian court upheld the decision to fine Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for violating users' privacy. This legal battle came to a head as Meta attempted to halt a fine imposed by Norway's data regulator. Since August 14, Meta has been facing daily fines of one million crowns ($93,200) for its actions involving the harvesting of user data and the subsequent targeting of advertising toward them. This practice, commonly known as behavioural advertising, is a prevalent business model among tech giants.

The owners of Facebook and Instagram had initially sought a temporary injunction against the penalty imposed by the Norwegian data regulator, Datatilsynet, which mandated the daily fine for a three-month duration.

In response to the court's decision, Datatilsynet issued a statement, proclaiming, "This is a significant victory for privacy."

During the legal proceedings, Meta presented several arguments, including claims that Datatilsynet's decision was disproportionate, unattainable, and violated other laws. However, the court firmly rejected these arguments.

Judge Henning Kristiansen, in his ruling, asserted, "None of these arguments will impact the outcome."

Regarding the verdict, Meta remained non-committal about its next steps. A spokesperson for the company stated, "We are disappointed by today's decision and will now consider our next steps," in an email response to Reuters.

Meta had informed the court during a two-day hearing in August that it had already committed to seeking consent from users. They argued that Datatilsynet had employed an expedited process that was deemed unnecessary and had not allowed sufficient time for the company to respond.

In contrast, Datatilsynet contended that it remained unclear when and how Meta intended to seek consent from users. In the interim, they asserted that users' rights were being violated.