Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) has been fined 1.2 million euros ($1.4 million U.S.) for allegedly collecting personal information from users in Spain that could then be used for advertising, according to the national data protection watchdog said.
AEPD (Agencia Espanola de Proteccion de Datos) officials said fine stemmed from an investigation into the social network company conducted alongside similar probes in Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
The 1.2-million-euro fine is a fraction of Facebook's quarterly revenue of about $8 billion U.S. and stock market capitalization of around $435 billion U.S..
AEPD said it found three cases in which Facebook had collected details such as the gender, religious beliefs, personal tastes and browsing history of its millions of Spanish users without informing them how such information would be used.
Facebook did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
According to AEPD, the tech giant did not sufficiently inform users about how it would use data collected on third-party websites, and did not obtain consent to use it.
Using cookies, Facebook also collects data from people who do not have an account on the social network but navigate other pages containing a "like" button, AEPD said.
Facebook users' activity can also be tracked on third-party sites, and the information collected added to what is already associated with a Facebook account, AEPD said.
It said it also found evidence the network kept information for more than 17 months after users closed their accounts.
Even so, as the clock approached afternoon from Monday morning, Facebook shares leaped $2.02, or 1.2%, in New York, to $172.97.
