Meta, one of the world’s largest social media platforms, received a large fine from the European Union for a security breach in 2018. The European Commission announced that Meta was fined $ 263 million as a result of unauthorised access to the personal information of millions of users on Facebook by malicious people.
The source of the breach was a vulnerability in a feature that allows Facebook to share user data with others. When this vulnerability was discovered by cyber criminals, the information of a large number of profiles active on the platform leaked out without authorisation. The vulnerability was first noticed in 2018 and allowed malicious people to easily access users’ personal data. Users’ names, phone numbers, email addresses and other sensitive data paved the way for crimes such as identity theft and fraud.
Huge fine for Meta, security vulnerability costs dearly
The European Union imposed a high fine for Meta’s failure to close this vulnerability in a timely manner and to take the necessary measures to protect users’ information. This fine, levied under the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), demonstrates the need for stricter oversight of data breaches. Regulators in Europe are demanding that companies protect user data more carefully and resolve security vulnerabilities more quickly.
Meta announced that after this incident, the platform reviewed its security protocols and took new measures to protect user data. Company officials stated that they aim to prioritise the safety of users and will take all necessary steps to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
This penalty once again revealed how strictly regulated Facebook is subject to increasing security breaches around the world. Increasing the importance given to user security seems to directly affect the future operations of technology companies.
