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EU smacks Meta with $1.3 billion fine over Facebook's alleged violation of privacy rules
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EU smacks Meta with $1.3 billion fine over Facebook's alleged violation of privacy rules

European regulators smacked Facebook owner Meta Platforms with a $1.3 billion fine for allegedly violating privacy rules, multiple outlets reported Monday.

"The EDPB found that Meta IE’s infringement is 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 organisations that serious infringements have far-reaching consequences," Andrea Jelinek, chair of the European Data Protection Board, said in a statement Monday.

Meta's leadership called the fines "unjustified and unnecessary," pledging to seek a stay of the orders through the courts.

The Irish Data Protection Commission prompted the EDPB's inquiry into Meta's European operations, CNN reported. Dublin is home to Meta's European headquarters.

In addition to levying the largest General Data Protection Regulation fine ever, the EDPB ordered the Silicon Valley social media titan to suspend its data flows from the EU to the U.S., TechCrunch explained.

Monday's decision applies only to Facebook. Other platforms owned by Meta, such as Instagram and WhatsApp, are not affected, according to the Washington Post.

Meta global affairs president Nick Clegg and chief legal officer Jennifer Newstead responded to the EDPB's decision in a blog post Monday morning.

In the post, Meta's leadership blame a "conflict of law between the US government's rules on access to data and European privacy rights." They add that policymakers are "expected to resolve" the issue in the summer.

The company warned that restricting the ability to transfer data across borders comes at a risk. In addition to an impact on the global economy, the company says such restrictions could leave citizens unable to access shared services upon which they have come to rely.

"Our priority is to ensure that our users, advertisers, customers and partners can continue to enjoy Facebook while keeping their data safe and secure," wrote Clegg and Newstead.

"We intend to appeal both the decision’s substance and its orders including the fine, and will seek a stay through the courts to pause the implementation deadlines."

Meta urged a more cooperative approach from EDPB regulators, emphasizing the importance of democracies working together to defend the idea of an open internet. They also pointed out that data transfers to China "continue largely unchallenged."

Clegg and Newstead say Facebook users in Europe will experience no immediate disruption because the decision includes implementation periods that run until later this year.

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