The European Union on Monday imposed a record $1.3 billion fine on social media giant Meta for transferring EU users’ data to the United States.
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) recently incurred A record fine of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) from the European Union (EU) for privacy violations. European privacy regulators have alleged that Facebook’s parent illegally transferred data from European users to the United States.
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), which announced the punishment, also ordered Meta to stop further transfers of EU user data to the US. However, Meta said she would appeal the Irish watchdog’s decision.
EU fine details
The EU fine imposed on Meta is one of the most consequential fines in the existence of the historic five-year data privacy law. This law, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), was created to protect the rights of EU member citizens from being “snooped” abroad. These unwanted activities include collecting and analyzing photos, friend connections, direct messages, and EU user data for targeted advertising.
The Data Protection Commission of Ireland alleged that Meta continued to breach the dictates of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) despite a final European Court ruling in July 2020. This 2020 legal case at the European Court of Justice saw the EU’s Supreme Court invalidate the framework EU-US Privacy Shield. The main reason given by the European Court at the time was that EU data transferred to the United States did not have sufficient protection from US spy agencies.
Privacy Shield posits that it is the main tool that can facilitate the legal transfer of personal data from the European Union to the United States. However, its backers failed to convince the court of its proper guarantees.
In explaining the penalty, the Irish Data Protection Commission detailed how Meta carried out its “breach”. According to the censorship, the Facebook parent published Standard Contractual Clauses for the transfer of personal data in the European Union. These provisions have been adopted by the European Commission, in addition to other measures implemented Meta. Interestingly, no European Union court has banned these clauses. However, the Data Protection Commission said these plans failed to address “risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects”.
Meta vows to fight back against ‘unfair’ fine
Monday’s ruling applies only to Facebook and not to other Meta-owned social media platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp.
However, Meta described the EU’s punitive measures as unfair treatment. He also argued that other companies practice similar data-sharing tactics. In a statement, Menlo Park President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg and Legal Director Jennifer Newsted said:
“Without the ability to transmit data across borders, the Internet runs the risk of being divided into national and regional silos, straitjacketing the global economy and leaving citizens across countries unable to access many of the shared services we depend on.”
Moreover, the duo also mentioned:
“We are appealing these decisions and will immediately seek to stay with the courts who can stay enforcement deadlines, given the harm these orders could cause, including to the millions of people who use Facebook every day.”
Refocusing on the proposed EU-US Joint Data Transfer Pact
The Meta Status reflects the ongoing development between the European Union and the United States to agree a new data transfer mechanism. last year, The parties agreed, in principle, to a new framework that facilitates transatlantic data transfers. However, this new agreement has not yet entered into force.
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Tolu is a cryptocurrency and blockchain enthusiast based in Lagos. He likes to demystify cryptocurrency stories down to the bare essentials so that anyone anywhere can understand without much background knowledge. When he’s not deep into cryptocurrency stories, Tolo enjoys music, loves to sing, and is a movie lover.