Italy fines Meta €805 million for using phone photos and videos without specific consent

Italian authorities said on Saturday that Facebook's parent company Meta has been fined €805 million for using photos and videos from Android phones without users' specific consent, the Italian Data Protection Authority said in a statement.

The authority said it is by far the largest fine it has ever imposed.

The fine concerned the 'camera roll suggestions when browsing Facebook' feature, which suggests photos and videos from a phone's gallery for users to add to posts.

The authority said the feature violates the Italian law implementing the EU's ePrivacy directive.

The investigation, launched in 2025, established that access to a user's camera roll is requested with a single permission for the entire app. The authority said that covers multiple features with different needs.

The authorization request was preceded by a generic warning that didn't allow users to understand that they were authorizing picture and video suggestions, the authority said.

The statement reads that if granted in full, this type of permission allows the app to read the device's entire photo archive, usually permanently, without the user or the authorities being able to verify which information is actually being used.

The authority also said it rejected the company's objection of lack of jurisdiction in favour of the Irish authority, because the ePrivacy regulation does not provide for the 'one-stop-shop' mechanism.

Meta has 60 days to get consent separately and specifically for the feature, clearly explain what it does and how it can be disabled, the authority said. It also must be disabled by default, including for those who have already authorized it.

Meta didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. It has the right to appeal the decision.