Facebook and Instagram parent company META has been fined €1.2 billion by European privacy regulators for transferring EU user data to the US.
The Irish Data Protection Commission claimed that the European Data Protection Board had ordered it to collect an administrative fine amounting to €1.2 billion.
The DPC, which acts on behalf of the EU, was investigating Meta Ireland’s transfer of personal data from the EU to the US since the year 2020.
Meta was found to have failed in addressing the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects identified in a previous ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The CJEU ensures that EU law is applied the same way across all member states.
On its part, Meta stated its disappointment at being singled out, calling the ruling flawed, unjustified and as setting a dangerous precedent for countless other companies.
With no immediate disruption to Facebook in Europe, Meta’s representatives revealed that they intend to appeal the decision.
This is the third fine imposed on social media giant so far this year in the EU and the fourth in six months. EU regulators hit Meta with fines over data breaches by Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
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