Social media: EU imposes record fine on Facebook group Meta
Facebook group Meta has received a record fine of 1.2 billion euros for a breach of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This was announced by the Irish data protection authority DPC.
The case is about Facebook's involvement in mass surveillance by Anglo-American intelligence agencies, which was revealed ten years ago by U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden. Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems brought a complaint against Facebook at the time.
The fine imposed by the DPC dwarfs Amazon.com's previous record fine of €746 million in Luxembourg. In addition, Meta must stop any further transfer of European personal data to the United States, as the company remains subject to U.S. surveillance laws.
Is Meta fighting back?
Meta did not comment on the record fine for the time being. However, experts assume that the U.S. company will appeal the decision. The court proceedings, however, could stretch on for years. In the meantime, a new data pact between the European Union and the U.S. could come into force, which will re-regulate transatlantic data traffic.
Meta had previously threatened several times to withdraw completely from the EU if transatlantic data transfer was not possible on a permanent basis. Schrems explained that the fine imposed could have been much higher: "The maximum fine is over four billion. And Meta knowingly violated the GDPR for ten years to make a profit." If U.S. surveillance laws are not changed, Meta will now likely have to fundamentally restructure its systems, Schrems explained.
Years of struggle
For years, the Irish data protection authority DPC had refused to take action against Facebook in this matter. Ultimately, the European Data Protection Committee (EDSA) obliged the DPC to impose a penalty on the social network. The current decision only applies to Facebook, not to other services from the meta group such as Instagram or WhatsApp.
However, Meta had already been fined 390 million euros by the DPC in January for forcing Facebook and Instagram users to agree to personalized advertising.
So far, the new penalty for Meta has seen fines totaling four billion euros since the General Data Protection Regulation came into force five years ago. Meta now features six times in the list of the ten highest fines, with penalties now totaling 2.5 billion euros. (SDA)
