Facebook owner Meta hit with €251m in EU fines for 2018 data breach

Under the 27-nation EU’s strict privacy regime, the Irish watchdog is Meta’s lead privacy regulator because the company’s regional headquarters is in Dublin

Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA

European Union privacy watchdogs have hit Facebook owner Meta with fines totalling €251m after an investigation into a 2018 data breach on the social media platform that exposed millions of accounts.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission issued the penalties after wrapping up its inquiry into the breach, which happened when hackers gained access to user accounts by exploiting bugs in the platform’s code that allowed them to steal digital keys, known as access tokens.