Irish privacy watchdog to investigate Facebook data breach

Ireland’s data protection authority is expected to launch a formal investigation into the Facebook data breach affecting 90 million people worldwide, the first major test of Europe’s new data protection rules, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The inquiry marks the latest setback for the social networking giant, which has been plagued by scandal over the last two years ranging from the use of its platform by Russian-backed actors during the U.S. presidential election in 2016 to the Cambridge Analytica data breach.

While Facebook is unlikely to maximum sanctions — that is 4% of a company’s global revenues, the company could face a fine of up to €1.4 billion — potentially the largest ever privacy fine worldwide — if it is found to have broken Europe’s data protection rules.

Source: Irish privacy watchdog to investigate Facebook data breach – POLITICO