European and Irish regulators Command To Meta, owner of Facebook, of Pay a €1.2 billion fine for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) By transferring personal data to the United States. This is the largest fine ever imposed under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
As ordered Mita b stop storing EU user data in the US within 6 months, But it may not ultimately have to take this step if the European Union and the United States agree on a new regulatory framework for international data transfers.
The breach committed by Meta’s Irish subsidiary”Quite dangerous, because it is about systematic, frequent and constant transfersAndrea Jelinek, chair of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), said in a statement today. “Facebook has millions of users in Europe, so the amount of personal data transferred is large. This unprecedented fine is a strong signal to organizations that serious violations have far-reaching consequences.“.
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) decided not to fine Meta in July 2022, but the decision was subject to binding dispute settlement after it was opposed by some regulators in other European countries. The EDPS then reversed the Irish DPC’s decision and asked them to amend the draft in order to impose a fine.
The EDPS also noted that it had asked the Irish authorities for a Meta request.To bring its processing operations compliant with GDPR Chapter 5, by ceasing unlawful processing, including storage, in the United States of European users’ personal data transferred in violation of the GDPR, within six months of noticeof the final decision.
Meta and a trade group for the technology industry criticized the decision. The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), which represents Meta and other technology companies, announce order to suspend data transfers.”It effectively makes it illegal to operate the Internet, from video conferencing and web browsing to online payment processing“.
The binding decision issued by the EDPS notes that Meta “Has violated Article 46, Paragraph 1, with at least the highest degree of negligenceand that the violation affectsWide range of categories of personal data“Design by Facebook Meta.”prevents it from providing this servicein Europe without international data transfers deemed to be in breach of the GDPR,”Which suggests that a large part of its profits from providing the service in the European Union comes from breaching the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).», announce EDPS.
Meta hopes that the agreement between the European Union and the United States will be concluded soon
The fine is necessary becauseThe severity of the breach, given the wide scope of the processing and the very large number of data subjects, as well as the long duration of the breach, which is still ongoingAccording to the decision of EDPS. The Irish DPC issued a final decision containing the required changes.
in blog postMeta executives said the company “She is appealing these rulings and will immediately seek to stay courts that may suspend enforcement deadlines, given the harm these orders could cause, including to the millions of people who use Facebook every day.“.
Meta said too.There is a fundamental legal conflict between US government data access rules and European privacy rights“.