Australia court fines Facebook owner Meta ₹111 crore for failing to disclose data collection activities

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₹111 crore)) for acquiring user data through an app that claimed to safeguard privacy but failed to disclose its data collection activities. Also, the Federal Court of Australia has ruled that Meta, along with its subsidiaries Facebook Israel and the previously discontinued app Onavo, must also bear the legal costs of A$400,000 ( ₹2.2 crore) to be paid to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the party responsible for initiating the civil lawsuit, Reuters reported. The Australian government led by Anthony Albanese has unveiled a series of planned amendments to the Privacy Act aimed at modernising the legislation in the digital era.

Among the notable proposals is one inspired by the European "right to be forgotten" laws, with a specific focus on online search results. This proposal seeks to grant individuals the right to have certain personal information removed from online search results. The targeted information includes medical history, details about minors, excessively comprehensive data, or information that is inaccurate, outdated, incomplete, misleading, or irrelevant.

In February, the Australian government published a long-awaited report reviewing the Privacy Act, suggesting significant modifications to Australia's primary privacy legislation. The changes seek to bring greater clarity and specificity to the existing elements of Australian privacy law. The proposed requirements will have an impact on how businesses in various sectors within the Australian economy gather and manage individuals' personal information.