EU imposes record €1.2 billion fine on Meta for GDPR violations
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, faces a record-breaking fine of €1.2 billion from the European Union (EU) for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Meta, the company behind Facebook, has been handed a significant penalty by the European Union (EU) amounting to €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The fine stems from Meta's inability to adequately protect the personal data of its European users from surveillance conducted by American security services. This landmark decision underscores the EU's dedication to preserving data privacy and ensuring accountability from major technology corporations in managing sensitive user information.
EU imposes record €1.2 billion fine on Meta for GDPR violations
Following a ruling by the highest court of the European Union (EU), the Irish Data Protection Commission, which was responsible for the decision, has expressed that Meta's data transfers to the United States failed to adequately address the potential risks to individuals' fundamental rights and freedoms. Despite Meta's use of standard contractual clauses (SCCs) for data transfers to the US, these measures were deemed insufficient.
In addition to the significant fine imposed, Meta has been granted a five-month period to discontinue any future transfer of personal data to the US, along with a six-month deadline to cease the unlawful processing and storage of EU-transferred personal data in the US.
This ruling is part of an ongoing dispute that has led to legal uncertainty for companies like Facebook. In 2020, the EU's highest court invalidated an EU-US agreement governing data transfers due to concerns regarding data protection in the US. Consequently, the Irish authority mandated Facebook to halt data transfers to the US by utilizing alternative mechanisms, such as contractual clauses.
Under the GDPR, EU regulators possess the authority to levy fines of up to 4% of a company's annual revenue for severe violations. The Irish Data Protection Commission has emerged as the primary privacy regulator overseeing major tech companies operating within the EU, including Meta and Apple.
