# Ireland fines Instagram a record $400 million over children’s data Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2022-09-06 Category: NEWS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news Meta Title: Instagram Fined Record €405M for Children's Data Meta Description: Learn about Instagram's record fine for mishandling children's data. Find out more about the investigation results and Instagram's next steps. URL: https://financedigest.com/ireland-fines-instagram-a-record-400-million-over-childrens-datahtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/2022-09-05t171529z2lynxmpei840iurtroptp4eu-copyright-1736815283652-compressed.jpg) DUBLIN (Reuters) -Ireland’s data privacy regulator has agreed to levy a record fine of 405 million euros ($402 million) against social network Instagram following an investigation into its handling of children’s data, a spokesperson for the watchdog said. Instagram plans to appeal against the fine, a spokesperson for parent Meta Platforms Inc said in an emailed statement. The investigation, which started in 2020, focused on child users between the ages of 13 and 17 who were allowed to operate business accounts, which facilitated the publication of the user’s phone number and/or email address. We adopted our final decision last Friday and it does contain a fine of 405 million euro,” said the spokesperson for Ireland’s [Data Protection](https://www.financedigest.com/4-steps-you-should-be-taking-to-protect-data.html "4 Steps You Should Be Taking To Protect Data") Commissioner (DPC), the lead regulator of Instagram’s parent company Meta Platforms Inc. Full details of the decision will be published [next week](https://www.financedigest.com/hungary-cenbank-seen-hiking-100-bps-to-11-75-next-week-as-inflation-surges.html "Hungary cenbank seen hiking 100 bps to 11.75% next week as inflation surges"), he said. Instagram updated its settings over a [year ago and has since](https://www.financedigest.com/japans-emperor-gives-first-public-new-years-greeting-since-2020.html "Japan’s emperor gives first public New Year’s greeting since 2020") released new features to keep teens safe and their information private, the Meta spokesperson said. The spokesperson said Instagram disagrees with how the fine was calculated and is carefully reviewing the decision. The DPC regulates Facebook, Apple, [Google and other technology giants](https://www.financedigest.com/your-phone-number-on-google-search-giant-now-takes-removal-demands.html "Your phone number on Google? Search giant now takes removal demands") due to the location of their EU headquarters in Ireland. It has [opened over a dozen investigations](https://www.financedigest.com/india-opens-new-investigation-into-bbc-in-widening-crackdown.html "India opens new investigation into BBC in widening crackdown") into Meta companies, including Facebook and WhatsApp. WhatsApp was last year fined a record 225 [million euros](https://www.financedigest.com/germanys-merck-to-invest-300-million-euros-in-us-gas-plant.html "Germany’s Merck to invest 300 million euros in US gas plant") for failing to conform with EU data rules in 2018. The Irish regulator completed a draft ruling in the Instagram investigation in December and [shared it with other European](https://www.financedigest.com/european-shares-end-higher-on-china-recovery-optimism.html "European shares end higher on China recovery optimism") Union regulators under the bloc’s “one stop shop” system of regulating large multinationals. ($1 = 1.0082 euros) (Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Jan Harvey) --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---