Facebook fined £1.5MILLION after breaking UK rules – but it takes less than 30 MINUTES to pay off

FACEBOOK has been hit by a measly fine that will take less than HALF AN HOUR for it to pay off.

The UK’s competition watchdog has demanded £1.5million/$2million from the tech giant’s owner Meta in the latest row over its purchase of GIF site Giphy.

GettyMeta is fined £1.5million/$2million[/caption]

But it’s a drop in the ocean for Meta, which earns more than that an hour.

Mark Zuckerberg’s tech empire made a net profit of £7.6billion/$10.3billion in the latest quarter.

On average, that works out at more than £3.5million/$4.7million in its pocket every hour.

Meta has agreed to pay the fine.

Watchdog officials are annoyed that the firm made staff changes after it ordered the merger with Giphy to be torn apart.

The social network is supposed to alert the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) before making any major alterations under strict rules.

The regulator ordered Meta to sell Giphy over concerns about competition late last year, which the firm is in the process of appealing.

Meta apparently kept quiet about the resignation of three key employees and the re-allocation of their roles. 

It has hit back at the latest move, saying they fundamentally disagree with the decision to block the Giphy buyout.

“Meta failed to alert us in advance to important changes in their staff, despite knowing they were legally required to do so,” said Joel Bamford from the CMA.

“This is not the first time this has happened.

“Initial enforcement orders are an integral part of our mergers toolkit and ensure the CMA is able to take effective action if we find competition concerns.

“Breaches like this one threaten our ability to maintain the benefits of competition for people using these products and services.”

Meta has already been struck by a £50million/$68million fine for breaching another part of the order, despite repeated warnings.

A company rep said: “We are disappointed by the CMA’s decision to fine us because of the voluntary departure of US-based employees.

“We intend to pay the fine, but it is problematic that the CMA can take decisions that could directly impact the rights of our US employees protected under US law.”

AFPFacebook’s owner Meta bought GIPHY for $400million[/caption]

In other news, Apple has revealed a bunch of new emoji for iPhone, including a pregnant man and two saucy symbols.

Experts have warned that future space launches could be jeopardised if “stupid” regimes like Russia don’t stop blasting the skies creating debris.

And the most popular phone since the millennium has been unveiled, with many shocked to find out it’s not an iPhone.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk