 |
| Meta threatens to close Facebook and Instagram in Europe |
Meta said it is considering shutting down Facebook and Instagram in Europe if it is not able to transfer user data to the United States. The social media giant warned in its annual report.
Regulators in Europe are currently working on new legislation to regulate how user data of EU citizens is moved across the Atlantic.
“Without adopting a new framework for transatlantic data transfer, we cannot continue to rely on CSC or other alternative methods to transfer data from Europe to the United States, and may not be able to offer some of our key products and services in Europe.”, including Facebook and Instagram. The company added that this could have a material negative impact on its business, financial position and operating results.
"Meta cannot blackmail the EU into abandoning data protection standards," said Axel Voss, MEP, who has already drafted EU data protection laws, on Twitter.
A Meta spokesman said the company had no plans and had no plans to withdraw from Europe. He added that he had raised the same concerns in previous requests.
He said: “META and many other companies, organizations and services rely on data transfers between the European Union and the United States to operate their global services.
Discussion continues
In August 2020, the Irish Security Council issued a temporary injunction to Facebook to halt the transfer of user data from the European Union to the United States.
Nick Clegg, Facebook's vice president of global affairs and communications, said at the time: "The Irish Data Protection Commission has opened an investigation into data transfers between the EU and the US and is recommending that the SCC not be used to transfer data between the EU and the US. The EU-US."
"This approach is open to further action," he added, but if followed it could have far-reaching implications for businesses that rely on CSC and the online services that many people and businesses rely on.
The Irish Data Protection Commission is expected to make a final decision in the first half of 2022.
If the SCC cannot serve as a legal basis for data transfer, Facebook must separate much of the data collected from European users.
The Irish Data Protection Commission can impose fines of up to 4% of its annual turnover or $2.8 billion for non-compliance.
Metadata exchange problem
In July 2020, the European Court of Justice ruled that data transfer standards do not adequately protect the privacy of European citizens.
Courts restrict how US companies can send European user data to the US. This came after it emerged that EU citizens could not challenge US government surveillance.
US authorities can ask companies like Facebook and Google to release data from EU citizens.
The European Court of Justice's decision stems from a lawsuit brought by Austrian activist Max Schrems. The lawsuit argues that US law does not provide adequate protection from surveillance by public authorities.
Shrimes filed a complaint against Facebook, which transferred his and other users' data to the United States.
The court ruling invalidated the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework. The agreement allows companies to send data from EU citizens across the Atlantic. Therefore, companies must rely on SCC.