Facebook is Fined $1.4 by Spain’s Data Watchdog

Facebook was slapped with a small fine this week. Next to the company’s $435 billion market value, a fine of about $1 million looks like pocket change.

Spain’s national data protection watchdog announced on Monday that it has fined social media giant Facebook 1.2 million euros, or $1.4 million, for allegedly collecting personal information from users in Spain that could then be used for advertising.

According to the AEPD authority, they found three cases in which Facebook had collected details which includes gender, religious beliefs, personal tastes and browsing history of its millions of Spain’s users without informing them how such information would be used.

“Facebook’s privacy policy contains generic and unclear terms,” the authority said in a statement.

“The social network uses specifically protected data for advertising, among other purposes, without obtaining users’ express consent as data protection law demands, a serious infringement.”

The AEPD said that Facebook uses cookies and also collects data from people who do not have an account on the social network but navigate other pages containing a “like” button.

The authority also said that the site’s users’ activity can also be tracked on third-party sites, and the information collected added to what is already associated with a Facebook account.

Disclaimer: We have no position in Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB) and have not been compensated for this article.