Meta Slapped with €251 Million Fine for 2018 Facebook Data Breach

Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (MPIL) is ending the year with a hefty €251 million fine from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC). The penalty stems from a 2018 data breach that laid bare the personal information of 29 million Facebook users worldwide—3 million of them in the EU/EEA.

The breach, which Meta has long since patched, exposed everything from names and email addresses to locations, workplace details, and even sensitive personal data like religion and children's information. It was caused by unauthorized parties exploiting user tokens—a grim reminder that even tech giants can falter when it comes to data security.

The DPC, acting on its own initiative, launched two separate investigations into the breach, ultimately uncovering significant violations of GDPR. Its decision, finalized this week, outlined Meta’s failures:

• The Notification That Wasn’t Quite Enough
  Under GDPR’s Article 33(3), companies must provide thorough breach notifications. Meta did notify regulators but left out details it should have included, earning an €8 million fine.
• Where Are the Receipts?
  When documenting breaches under Article 33(5), companies must provide records robust enough for regulators to confirm compliance. Meta’s documentation fell short, costing it another €3 million.
• Data Protection by Design—Or Lack Thereof
  The steepest fines were tied to Meta’s failure to bake privacy into its systems. Under Article 25(1), companies must ensure that data protection principles are at the heart of their processing systems’ design. Meta’s lapse here resulted in a €130 million penalty.

Similarly, under Article 25(2), companies must adopt a “data minimization” approach, processing only the information absolutely necessary. Meta’s shortcomings in this area earned an additional €110 million fine.

A Regulator’s Perspective

Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle minced no words about the breach’s consequences, “This enforcement highlights how failing to build data protection requirements into the design and development cycle can expose individuals to serious risks and harms,” Doyle said. “Facebook profiles often contain deeply personal information—religious beliefs, political views, even aspects of someone’s sexual orientation. Allowing unauthorized access to this kind of data puts people at grave risk.”

The fines also send a clear message that the days of paying lip service to GDPR are over. If you’re handling personal data, you’d better have your house in order.

What can other organizations learn from Meta’s misstep? Plenty. For starters, it’s a case study in why compliance is more than just a box to tick:

1. Start with Privacy, Not Afterthoughts: GDPR requires privacy by design. This isn’t optional—it’s foundational. Building systems with strong privacy protections from the ground up can save businesses from breaches—and massive fines.
2. Document Everything: When things go wrong, regulators want to see exactly what happened and how it was fixed. Skimping on documentation could double your trouble.
3. Say It All, Say It Fast: When a breach happens, being upfront, clear, and comprehensive in your notifications is non-negotiable. Regulators won’t take kindly to vagueness.

Meta’s hefty fine is a wake-up call for companies that collect and process personal data. With the DPC and other EU regulators ramping up enforcement, businesses can’t afford to be reactive. Proactivity—whether that’s bolstering your systems, improving transparency, or tightening up processes—needs to be the name of the game.

As for Meta, this €251 million slap on the wrist isn’t its first GDPR tangle, and it likely won’t be its last. But for the millions of users whose data was caught up in this breach, the DPC’s action serves as a powerful statement that privacy matters, and regulators are watching.

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