European Union regulators fined Facebook owner a record $1.3 billion for transferring EU data to the United States.
Meta was also told to stop sending user data across the Atlantic by the end of October. Despite a previous EU court ruling, the data transfers took place.
According to the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), the breach resulted in the largest “ever” fine under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), surpassing Amazon’s €746 million fine in 2021.
Following the EDPB’s binding dispute resolution decision, Meta Platforms Ireland Limited was issued a 1.2 billion euro fine as a result of an inquiry into its Facebook service by the Irish DPA – the largest GDPR fine to date! Read all about it here: https://t.co/ti4iFMm73M pic.twitter.com/iJnKZNMp1x
— EDPB (@EU_EDPB) May 22, 2023
Why Did The EU Penalty Meta?
Since 2020, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), which represents the European Union, has been investigating Meta’s transfer of personal data from the EU to the US.\
It found that Meta had failed to “address the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects” identified in a previous ruling by the European Union’s Court of Justice (CJEU).
The EDPB chair, Andrea Jelinek, described Meta’s violation as “very serious” because it involves “systematic, repetitive, and continuous transfers.”
“Facebook has millions of users in Europe, so the volume of personal data transferred is massive,” Jelinek continued.
“The unprecedented fine sends a clear message to organizations that serious violations have far-reaching consequences.”
Case of a Decade
The case is part of a long-running legal battle over Facebook’s data storage and its participation in mass surveillance by Anglo-American intelligence agencies.
Max Schrems, an Austrian privacy activist, first filed a legal challenge against Facebook a decade ago, in response to revelations by former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden.
Meta said it would appeal the decision, including the “unjustified and unnecessary fine,” and ask the courts to stay the orders.
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