EU Fines Facebook $1.3B Over Personal Data Transfers to US
AllSides Summary
European Union (EU) privacy regulators fined Meta, Facebook's parent company, $1.3 billion over transferring personal data from Facebook's EU servers to U.S. servers.
The Details: Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) cited the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy law in issuing the fine, the largest penalty ever issued under GDPR. Meta plans to appeal, and Facebook remains available in Europe.
Key Quotes: The data transfers were mishandled, and the legal framework around them "did not address the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms" of Facebook’s EU users and broke the law, the DPC said. "This decision is flawed, unjustified and sets a dangerous precedent for the countless other companies transferring data between the EU and US," Meta officials said. "The ability for data to be transferred across borders is fundamental to how the global open internet works."
For Context: The prior record for a similar penalty was the $887 million fine against Amazon in 2021 for privacy violations.
How the Media Covered It: Left- and center-rated sources covered the news more prominently.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Meta hit with record-breaking $1.3 billion fine over Facebook data transfers to the US
Meta has been hit with a record-breaking $1.3 billion fine (€1.2 billion) by EU data regulators, and ordered to stop transferring the Facebook data of EU citizens to the US. EU courts believe such data transfers expose EU citizens to privacy violations — a complaint that stems back to 2013 and revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden about US mass surveillance programs.
The ruling was made by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), which said that that the current legal framework for data transfers to the US “did not address the risks...
From the Center
Facebook fined €1.2bn for mishandling users' data
Facebook's owner, Meta, has been fined €1.2bn (£1bn) for mishandling people's data when transferring it between Europe and the United States.
Issued by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), it is the largest fine imposed under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation privacy law.
GDPR sets out rules companies must follow to transfer user data outside of the EU.
Meta says it will appeal against the "unjustified and unnecessary" ruling.
At the crux of this decision is the use of standard contractual clauses (SCCs) to move European Union data to the...
From the Right
Meta fined record $1.3 billion by EU over data transfers
Meta has been fined a record $1.3 billion by European Union privacy regulators for transferring personal data from Facebook's EU servers to the United States.
The European Data Protection Board announced the fine on Monday morning, which Meta said it would appeal.
"The EDPB found that Meta IE’s infringement is very serious since it concerns transfers that are systematic, repetitive and continuous," Andrea Jelinek, the EDPB chairwoman, said in a statement. "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...
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