Ireland’s data protection agency on Wednesday launched an investigation into Facebook after the personal data of 533 million Facebook users was leaked online earlier this month.
Personal data from 533 million Facebook accounts was reportedly leaked online for free at the beginning of April, including phone numbers, email addresses, and locations. Facebook says the data was scraped from the website due to a weakness in the platform that was fixed in 2019.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said the data leak raised questions regarding Facebook’s compliance with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.
“The DPC, having considered the information provided by Facebook Ireland regarding this matter to date, is of the opinion that one or more provisions of the GDPR … may have been, and/or are being, infringed in relation to Facebook Users’ personal data,” the commission said in a press release Wednesday.
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The GDPR requires covered businesses, including Big Tech platforms like Facebook, to disclose the personal information they collect, sell, and share. Businesses must, at the point they start collecting personal data, tell consumers what information they will collect and how they will use it.
Consumers can opt out of the sale of their personal data, with businesses required to provide a prominent opt-out notification. Covered companies must also delete a customer’s personal data upon request.
Lawmakers in Congress are pushing for new privacy regulations in the United States along the lines of the GDPR.
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With states passing their own privacy legislation and the EU’s GDPR in effect, privacy legislation in Congress will likely focus on the right for consumers to opt out of their information getting sold.
