DUBLIN (Reuters) – Meta was fined a record 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) by its top European Union privacy regulator for its handling of user data and given five months to stop transferring user data to the United States. Time was given.
A fine imposed by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) for Meta’s continued transfer of personal data surpassed the previous record fine of 746 million euros imposed by Luxembourg on Amazon.com Inc, according to a DPC statement on Monday.
Meta said in a statement that it would appeal the sentence, including the “unjustified and unnecessary fine”, and would request a suspension of the orders through the courts.
The long-running battle over where Facebook stores data began a decade ago after Austrian activist Max Schrems filed a legal challenge over US spying risks in light of revelations from a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor. . Its abbreviation in English). Edward Snowden of the United States.
Meta said last month it hoped a new deal facilitating the secure transfer of personal data of EU citizens to the United States would be fully implemented before it had to suspend transfers.
This would mean that his earlier warning that a shutdown could force him to suspend Facebook’s services in Europe would not come to pass.
Officials have said the new data protection framework agreed by the European Union and the United States in March 2022 could be ready by July, but Meta also warned it may not be ready in time.
