Ireland’s privacy regulator, acting on behalf of the European Union, has fined Meta a record £1.2bn. The charge is a violation of European privacy law.
According to the prosecution Meta would not have protected the personal data of European Facebook users, continuing to transfer them to Washington where they could end up in the analysis tools of American intelligence. The holding would also have carried out these operations in violation of a warning already received from the EU. Meta, like many other US technology companies, moves data from Europe to the US because it operates its main data centers there to offer its services.
The investigation by the Irish Authority (acting on behalf of the EU)
The one imposed by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) is the highest fine ever imposed in Europe for this type of crime. Already last Friday Bloomberg had anticipated that the fine would arrive at the beginning of the week. And that in all likelihood it would have been higher than the 750 million one decided in 2021 by Luxembourg to Amazon, the highest ever inflicted to date.
The data protection authority will also ask Meta to stop sending information about European Facebook users to the United States and to delete data already sent within six months. Obligation that Meta could avoid if Washington concludes an agreement with the EU to allow the transfer and processing of data within certain limits.
The battle between Brussels and Meta, after the revelations of Snowden
Meta in a note lets it be known that he will appeal against the sentence. “We will appeal the ruling and the unjustified fine and ask for a stay of requests through the courts. There is no immediate shutdown of Facebook in Europe, the decision includes implementation periods that will last until the end of this year”: the write Nick Clegg, President Global Affairs of Meta and Jennifer Newstead, Chief Legal Officer of Meta in an official post.
The battle between Brussels and the holding over how Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp store user data began in 2010, after Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems launched a legal challenge over the risk of espionage by the United States. in light of the revelations of former National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden. The fine is the result of the investigations started in Europe after that accusation.