Ireland nes Facebook’s Meta €1.2 billion

Meta, owners of Facebook, has been hit with a record ne of €1.2 billion by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) over the transfer of European user data to the US.

e DPC levied the ne on behalf of European regulators, saying the European Data Protection Board had ordered it to collect “an administrative ne in the amount of € 1.2 billion”. e DPC has been investi- gating Meta Ireland’s transfer of personal data from the EU to the United States since 2020.

Meta has said it would appeal the decision.

Meta is the owner of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram and has its global operations base outside of the US in Dublin’s Sir John Rogerson’s Quay.

It found that Meta, which has its European headquarters in Dublin, failed to “address the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects” that were identi ed in a previ- ous ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). e decision relates to Meta’s Facebook service and the DPC said that Meta Ireland infringed GDPR Article 46(1) when it continued to transfer personal data from the EU/EEA to the USA following the delivery of the e CJEU interprets EU law to make sure it is applied in the same way in all member states.

CJEU’s judgment in the Maximillian Schrems case.

It found that Meta failed to “address the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects” that were identi ed in a previous ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

In response, Meta said it was “disappointed to have been singled out” and the ruling was “ awed, unjusti ed and sets a dangerous precedent for the countless other companies.” ey intend to appeal.