Amazon and WhatsApp saw biggest fines in EU last year over data rules violations as GDPR takes toll on Big Tech

  • In 2021, Amazon.com was hit with the largest fine yet under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, and Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp faced the second-highest
  • Fines under the GDPR rose sevenfold last year to US$1.26 billion, from US$180 million in 2020

A view of the Amazon logistic center with the company’s logo in Dortmund, Germany, on November 14, 2017. Photo: Reuters
European Union data protection fines targeting Amazon.com Inc and Meta Platforms Inc’s WhatsApp helped push penalties to record levels last year, in a sign that the bloc’s tough privacy rules are starting to bite.

Luxembourg’s data protection authority last year slapped Amazon with its biggest fine since the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation took effect almost four years ago. The US online retailer is challenging the 746 million-euro ($851 million) penalty. The Irish watchdog followed with the second-highest EU fine against WhatsApp, ordering it to pay 225 million euros for failing to be transparent about how it handled personal data.

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