Amazon isn't having it.
What you need to know
- Amazon has received a large fine over privacy violations.
- The CNPD is calling for "corresponding practice revisions" by the company.
- Amazon says it will defend itself against the decision, which it believes was made "without merit."
Amazon has just been hit with yet another fine, although this comes with a hefty price tag. It was discovered in financial filings (via The WSJ) that the Luxembourg National Commission for Data Protection (CNPD) recently issued a €746 million fine (roughly $887 million) against the company, the largest issued this far over EU privacy laws.
According to the filing, the decision made on July 16 claimed that Amazon's processing of personal data did not comply with the GDPR. The ruling calls for Amazon to change its business practices.
In the filing, Amazon says that the decision was made "without merit" and that the company plans to defend itself "vigorously" in the matter.
Amazon told Android Central that maintaining the security and trust of its customers remains a top priority for the company.
We strongly disagree with the CNPD's ruling, and we intend to appeal. The decision relating to how we show customers relevant advertising relies on subjective and untested interpretations of European privacy law, and the proposed fine is entirely out of proportion with even that interpretation.
This is hardly the first time Amazon has faced fines over EU privacy violations. Last December, the company was fined more than $42 million by French privacy regulators. Additionally, Amazon, along with other Big Tech companies like Google and Facebook, are currently facing increased scrutiny and regulation.
Previously, the largest fine under EU privacy laws was a €50 million imposed on Google for GDPR violations.
News of the fine comes just a day after the company announced its Q2 earnings, which reported impressive revenue thanks to AWS and a successful Prime Day, but managed to miss investor expectations. The company expects growth to continue slowing down as more people spend less time at home.
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