Meta has been fined 1.2 billion euros

Meta has been fined 1.2 billion euros

The European Union has fined Facebook’s parent company Meta 1.2 billion euros. Meta does not comply with European privacy rules. It has been storing user information in the US since 2020. The EU fears that this information could end up in the hands of US intelligence.

After the Snowden affair in 2013, the world was alerted to the long digital arm of US intelligence agencies. In 2015, the European Court of Justice ruled that data exchange between the US and Europe was no longer possible. European profile data such as photos and names belong to Europe.

Third penalty in a row

The European Union is working to regulate tech companies with rules to ensure privacy. The European Union’s privacy watchdog, the European Data Protection Board, has been monitoring the details of big tech companies since 2018. Meta has repeatedly warned that storing information about EU citizens on US servers violates EU law.

Meta was already fined €390 million by Irish regulator the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) earlier this year. The company received a fine for the way user data was used for personalized advertising. In September 2022, Meta fined Instagram 405 million euros for violating privacy rules.

Meta intends to appeal

Meta CEO Nick Clegg plans to appeal the ruling. According to him, thousands of companies can only operate through the exchange of data between the EU and the US.

Clegg points to a fundamental legal difference between US rules on access to data and European privacy law, NOS writes.

The companies and the EU are negotiating agreements on a new way of data transfer, without a wholesale transfer to the EU. It is hoped that a solution will be found soon to the satisfaction of the rulers. If that fails, some of the biggest Internet companies are threatening to leave Europe.

Meta has until November 12, 2023 to delete or move information from US servers to Europe. New contracts should be ready.

read more:
EU rules must keep internet giants in line

The agreement between member states and the European Parliament paves the way for stricter controls on big internet companies. Consumers and small businesses benefit the most there.

See also  A place for Leiden Hofgesconserten and the United States online this year ...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *