Brazil fines Facebook $1.6 million for improper sharing of user data

Brazil’s Ministry of Justice said yesterday it has fined US tech giant Facebook Inc 6.6 million reais ($1.6m) for improperly sharing user data.

The ministry’s department of consumer protection said it had found that data from 443,000 Facebook users was made improperly available to developers of an App called ‘thisisyourdigitallife.’

The data was being shared for “questionable” purposes, the ministry said in a statement. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ministry said the world’s largest social network failed to provide users with adequate information regarding default privacy settings, particularly related to data of “friends” and “friends of friends.”

The ministry said it launched the investigation following media reports of the misuse of data by political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica in 2018. Facebook has 10 days to appeal the decision. The fine should be paid within 30 days.