Overview
- POLITICO published a report saying Italy’s data protection authority fined Meta €805 million for a “camera roll suggestions” feature that allegedly accessed Android users’ photos and videos without specific consent.
- Crypto Briefing said it found no Garante press release, regulatory filing, or other credible reporting to back the €805 million figure and therefore treats the claim as unconfirmed.
- The alleged Garante finding described a single, broad permission that covered multiple app functions, a generic warning that did not explain the photo-suggestion feature, and an instruction that Meta must obtain separate, specific consent and disable the feature by default.
- If true, the fine would sit below Ireland’s €1.2 billion privacy penalty for Meta but well above the €200 million Digital Markets Act sanction, and penalties of this size normally include a published legal decision and prompt an appeal.
- Next steps to watch are a formal Garante statement, any response or appeal from Meta, and whether regulators press for new app-permission rules that give users clearer control over access to their photo libraries.