Italy’s competition watchdog said on Wednesday it had fined Facebook 7 million euros (USD 8.5 million) for not complying with a request by the regulator to correct improper commercial practices in the group’s treatment of user data.

In November 2018, the antitrust body ruled that Facebook had not informed users properly about its collection and use of data.

It fined the US company 5 million euros (USD5.5 million) and asked it to publish an amended statement on the homepage of its website for Italy, on the Facebook app and on the personal page of each registered Italian user.

”The current investigation has proved that …(the company has) not published the amended statement and has not stopped the established unfair practice,” the regulator said in its statement.

Even if Facebook no longer advertises itself as free, "immediate and clear information on the collection and use of user data for commercial purposes is still not provided," the regulator said.

A Facebook spokesman said the company had taken notice of the regulator’s announcement but would “await the Council of State decision on our appeal against the Authority’s initial findings”.