Meta is considering leaving the European Union

No more Facebook, no more Instagram. There is a possibility that soon we will not be able to share our lives within the European Union via beautiful shots on social media platforms. Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms, is threatening to leave Europe if the group is no longer allowed to share data from European users with the United States.

Meta warns in an annual report that it can no longer provide services in the European Union if the company is not allowed to share data with the United States. Facebook says halting data transfers with the United States could have a devastating impact on the company. The Company relies on processing user data to be able to deliver targeted advertising over the Internet.

Facebook has already threatened to leave

This isn’t the first time it has threatened the company behind Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, among others. In 2020, Ireland’s privacy regulator told Facebook it could no longer use standard contractual clauses to comply with privacy rules when sending data to the United States.

Irish authorities have blocked Facebook due to the European Court of Justice’s repeal of the Regulation on Data Sharing, or the so-called Privacy Shield. According to the court, the protection of personal data in the United States is much lower than in Europe.

Will you soon have to pay to use Facebook and Instagram?

An investigation by the Irish data regulator is still ongoing. So Meta is still waiting for a final decision in the case. This decision may come in the first half of this year. In this context, the US company is now warning once again that if a good solution is not found “we probably won’t be able to offer some of our core products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe”.

Complaint from Austrian privacy activist

The case began several years ago with a complaint from Austrian privacy activist Maximilian Schrems about Facebook Ireland, the social media company’s European headquarters. Schrems had complained to the Irish Data Protection Authority about Facebook Ireland’s transfer of personal data to its parent company in the United States. He wondered if they were adequately protected in the United States.

A digital identity with all your personal data? If it’s up to the Netherlands and the EU, yes