Amazon has suffered massively with a record $886.6 million (746 million euros) European Union fine for processing personal data in violation of the bloc`s GDPR rules, as privacy regulators take a more aggressive position on enforcement.
The Luxembourg National Commission for Data Protection (CNPD) has imposed the fine on Amazon in a July 16 decision, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing.
Amazon will appeal the fine, according to a company spokesperson. The e-commerce giant said in the filing it believed CNPD`s decision was without merit.
CNPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, requires companies to seek people`s consent before using their personal data or face steep fines.
Globally, regulatory scrutiny of tech giants has been constantly surging after a string of scandals over privacy and misinformation, as well as complaints from some businesses that they abuse their market power.
Alphabet`s Google, Facebook Inc, Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp have drawn heightened scrutiny in Europe.
In December, France`s data privacy watchdog levied its biggest ever fine of 100 million euros ($118.82 million) to Google for breaching the nation`s rules on online advertising trackers.