Meta Facing $1.3B Fine over Data Privacy Breach-EU Regulators

European Union regulators have fined Meta a record new fine of $1.3 billion for transferring the personal data of Facebook’s EU users to servers in the United States.

According to a statement released on Monday by the European Data Protection Board, the fine was based on an inquiry into Facebook by the Irish Data Protection Commission, the chief regulator overseeing Meta’s operations in Europe.

Following the fine, Meta has been instructed to not process personal data of European users in the United States within six months.

Chair of the European Data Protection Board Andrea Jelinek, termed the situation as ‘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 organizations that serious infringements have far-reaching consequences,” she said.

Also Read: Meta Fined €390m Euros for Breaking EU Data Rules

Meta officials said the European Data Protection Board chose to disregard the clear progress that policymakers are making to resolve this underlying issue.

“This decision is flawed, unjustified and sets a dangerous precedent for the countless other companies transferring data between the EU and US,” they said.

“The ability for data to be transferred across borders is fundamental to how the global open internet works. Thousands of businesses and other organizations rely on the ability to transfer data between the EU and the US in order to operate and provide services that people use every day.”