For violating the European Union’s privacy regulations, tech giant Meta was struck with a record € 1.2 billion fine and told to stop sending data from Facebook users in Europe to the US.
This happened to be the biggest GDPR penalties ever assessed, surpassing Amazon’s fine that was nearly $865 million. It comes as a result of Meta’s transfers of personal data to the United States pursuant to standard contractual clauses (SCCs) beginning on July 16, 2020.
Additionally, Meta has been told to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with regard to data transfers. According to the EDPB Chairperson, Andrea Jelinek:
“The EDPB found that Meta IE’s infringement is very serious since it concerns transfers that are systematic, repetitive and continuous. Facebook has millions of users in Europe, so the volume of personal data transferred is massive. The unprecedented fine is a strong signal to organisations that serious infringements have far-reaching consequences.”
Following the verdict, Meta also stated that they would challenge the Irish DPC data transfer order, including the “unjustified” fine. As per Meta’s President, Nick Clegg, “This decision is flawed, unjustified and sets a dangerous precedent for the countless other companies transferring data between the EU and US.”The dominant social media company added that they would approach the courts to get a stay of the directives. The verdict is just one more stone in the long-running crisis that has already seen several major firms fall into legal voids.
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