Italy fines Meta $887 million for Android photo access

Regulators impose heavy penalty

Italy's data protection authority penalized Meta €805 million after an investigation into its handling of personal data. The agency found the tech giant accessed private photo and video galleries without obtaining informed consent from users. Investigators determined that a feature titled Get suggestions from your gallery while browsing Facebook relied on broad permissions instead of separate authorization. The arrangement allowed the software to reach deeply into a user's full local image collection without transparent notification.

Feature details and timeline

The investigation began in 2025 and did not cover potential use of content for training artificial intelligence models. Meta explicitly denied using scraped user content for AI training, though regulators reserved the right to evaluate newer cloud-processing features separately. The gallery suggestion feature was available since 2023 and suggested photos from a user's phone as ideas for posts. Authorities noted the infringement duration remains ongoing for users who have not updated their apps or given consent.

Mandate and company response

The authority gave Meta a strict 60-day window to disable the gallery-suggestion feature by default. Before any such access is allowed again later, regulators insist on obtaining distinct and clear permission from users. A company spokesperson stated they strongly disagree with the assessment and the disproportionate level of the fine. The penalty accounts for roughly 0.47 percent of Meta's global annual revenue based on 2025 turnover figures.