Meta Fined €1.2 Billion by Irish Regulator for Data Protection Violation
Meta
Summary:
The ruling prohibits the transfer of data from European Facebook users to the United States due to concerns about insufficient security against US intelligence services. The fine was issued because Meta failed to comply with a 2020 ruling from the EU’s highest court. While the verdict specifically affects Facebook, other Meta-owned services (Instagram and WhatsApp) are not impacted. Read entire article below.
The Data Protection Commission of Ireland has levied a record-breaking punishment on the social networking behemoth, Meta, totaling €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion). Data gathered from European Facebook users cannot be sent to the United States under this order. The decision is a serious breach of data protection laws in the European Union.
The Irish regulator has issued the fine because Meta did not comply with a 2020 ruling from the highest court in the European Union. According to the ruling, data sent from Europe to the US lacks sufficient security against monitoring by US intelligence services.
Meta to Appeal Ruling
While the verdict does affect Facebook, it does not affect other Meta-owned services like Instagram or WhatsApp. Meta has said that it will appeal the ruling and has reassured users that there would be no immediate interruption to Facebook’s services in the European Union.
Meta replied to the ruling by saying it was being unjustly singled out for data-sharing procedures used by many businesses. According to the New York Times, Meta’s President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg and Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Newstead have voiced worry about prospective restrictions on cross-border data transfers.
The announcement comes on the eve of the G.D.P.R.’s fifth anniversary. The Board of Directors insisted on the €1.2 billion punishment and requiring Meta to handle the user data it has already obtained, which may involve erasing some of it.
Under the G.D.P.R., this social media behemoth has often been the focus of government oversight. Forcing users to accept tailored advertising as a condition of using Facebook resulted in a €390 million punishment for the firm in January. It was hit with a €265 million penalties in November after a data breach.
