PanamaTimes

Wednesday, Oct 09, 2024

Facebook owner Meta hit with record £1bn fine for breach of EU data regulations

Facebook owner Meta hit with record £1bn fine for breach of EU data regulations

The issue of transferring EU Facebook users' data to the US, where it is subject to fewer stringent privacy protections, has been ongoing for a decade.
The owner of WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook has been slapped with a record fine of €1.2bn (£1.04bn) by the Irish data protection regulator.

It is the biggest fine ever levied for breach of the general data protection regulations (GDPR), which require the data holder's permission before using their personal information.

Meta has incurred the fine for transferring EU users' data to the United States for processing, despite a 2020 verdict handed down by the highest EU court saying the data was insufficiently protected from US spying agencies.

Facebook has been ordered to halt the practice and has been given at least five months to suspend future transfers and six months to stop unlawful processing and storage of data in the US. Instagram and WhatsApp are not subject to the order.

The issue has been ongoing for a decade after privacy activist Max Schrems instigated legal proceedings in 2013 against Facebook, as the company was called at the time.

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) in Ireland has jurisdiction over Meta, effectively operating as the EU privacy regulator, as Meta's European headquarters are in Dublin.

Meta said it would appeal the decision and there would be no disruption in service. It said the decision was "unjustified and unnecessary" and sets a "dangerous precedent". Meta added it is seeking stays of the order through the courts.

Prior to Monday's fine, the largest penalty EU regulators handed out was €746m to Amazon in 2021.

A new pact is being worked on between the EU and US to facilitate safe and legal data sharing and may be operational by the summer but also could face legal challenges. Meta said in April it expects the pact to be completed before it is compelled to cease the current, illegal data transfer.

Even if the arrangement is not in place services will continue to operate, Meta said. Previously it had said a ban could suspend services in Europe.

Ending the data transfer could cost an estimated 10% of its advertising revenue, Meta said in an investor call last month - an amount that is multiples larger than Monday's £1bn fine.
Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
The Impact of Online Culture on Young Women: Survey Insights
Hypersonic Jet to Revolutionize Air Travel
Facilitated Communication: Miracle Tool or Manipulative Method?
US Election 2024: A Deadlock Between Trump and Harris
Dominica Sells Citizenship to Boost Climate Resilience
Elon Musk's X Faces Fines and Account Error in Brazil
Scott Jennings leaves CNN panel speechless as he tears apart Tim Walz's flimsy excuse of being "too dumb to tell the truth."
Earth Faces Severe Geomagnetic Storm from Solar Flare
China-Led Bloc Challenges The Quad in Indo-Pacific Region
Biden-Harris sent forklifts to open the border when Texas built a razor wall.
Storm Helene Devastates Eastern and Midwestern US, Claims 44 Lives
Trump Taps Elon Musk to Lead Federal Spending Cuts, Promising Trillions in Savings
Importing voters: With an election looming, the U.S. is approving citizenship applications at the fastest speed in years.
Hurricane Helene Set to Slam Florida with 'Unsurvivable' Conditions
El Salvadoran President Bukele at the UN: "Some complain that we put thousands in prison. In reality, we set millions free."
Google Commits 120 Million Dollars for Global AI Education: Sundar Pichai
Tennessee Woman Sentenced for Attempted Murder-For-Hire
Amazon Rainforest Suffers Massive Deforestation
Earth's Planetary Boundaries Breached
Elon Musk’s X Circumvents Brazil’s Supreme Court Block
Brazilian Judge Accuses Elon Musk’s X of Circumventing Court-Ordered Ban
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Coerced into Recognizing Maduro's Victory
Brazil's Firefighters Battle Amazon Blazes and Arsonists
X Social Media Platform Ordered Offline Again in Brazil
Global Workdays Required to Afford iPhone 16
In his podcast, Joe Rogan rightly questioned, "YOU NEED A VACCINE PASSPORT FOR FOOD, BUT VOTER ID IS ‘RACIST'?!"
Trump Unveils New Cryptocurrency Venture Amidst Campaign
X Update Enables App to Bypass Brazil Ban, Say Internet Providers
Delta Airlines Sets Strict Wardrobe Guidelines for Flight Attendants
Norway Achieves Milestone in Electric Vehicle Adoption
Hezbollah Hit by Explosive Pagers in Lebanon
Ex-Soldier Describes Trump Assassination Suspect's Troubled Ukraine Stint
Ghislaine Maxwell's Sex-Trafficking Conviction Upheld by Appeals Court
El Salvador's Bold Move: President Bukele Declares End to External Debt Reliance, Thanks to Bitcoin
Murdoch Family Succession Battle Begins
TikTok Faces Potential Ban in the US Amid Free Speech Concerns
Secret Service Investigates Elon Musk's Controversial Social Media Post
Meta Bans Russian State Media Networks
Impact and Aftermath of 9/11 Attacks on the US and the World
Internet Surpasses TV as UK's Leading News Source
Significant Corruption Concerns in Covid Contracts
MORAES WILL NOT SILENCE ME: "I WAS BORN FREE, I WILL DIE FREE!"
BRAZIL’S SUPREME COURT MINISTER ORDERS EXPLANATION ON X BLOCKING
Porn streamer OnlyFans paid owner $630mn in dividends
Donald Trump will not face sentencing over his 'hush money' conviction before the US presidential election on November 5, after a Manhattan judge granted his request to delay the proceeding
Return of Brazilian Artworks to Bahia
France Pilots Mobile Phone Ban in Schools
WHO-Led Study Finds No Link Between Mobile Phones and Brain Cancer
Kamala Harris is in Detroit and has a new accent again
EU Rejects Maduro’s Election Win Claim in Venezuela
×