This man cost Meta 1.2 billion euros

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Facebook group Meta has been fined 1.2 billion euros for violating the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Record penalty! This was announced in Dublin on Monday by the Irish data protection agency DPC.

Behind the penalty is the complaint of Austrian data protection activist Max Schrems (36). The case concerns Facebook’s involvement in the mass surveillance of Anglo-American secret services, uncovered ten years ago by US whistleblower Edward Snowden, 39.

The fine by the DPC dwarfs the previous record fine of 746m euros for Amazon.com in Luxembourg. In addition, Meta should stop further transfers of European personal data to the US as the company remains subject to US surveillance laws.

No comments from meta

Meta has not commented on the record penalty for now. However, experts assume that the US group will appeal the decision. But the court process can take years. By then, a new data agreement between the European Union and the United States could enter into force that will regulate transatlantic data traffic.

Meta had previously threatened to withdraw from the EU altogether if transatlantic data transfer was not permanently possible.

Data protection activist Schrems explained that the fine could have been much higher: “The maximum fine is over four billion. And Meta knowingly violated GDPR for ten years to make a profit.” Schrems explained that Meta will need to fundamentally reconfigure its systems if US surveillance laws do not change.

Already fined in January

Irish data protection agency DPC has for years refused to take action against Facebook on this issue. Ultimately, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) mandated DPC to fine the social network. The current decision concerns only Facebook, not other services in the meta group like Instagram or Whatsapp.

However, Meta was fined 390m euros by the DPC in January for forcing Facebook and Instagram users to accept personalized ads.

Since the General Data Protection Regulation came into force five years ago, Meta has been fined four billion euros so far, with the new penalty. Meta is currently represented six times in the top ten fines list, with fines totaling 2.5 billion euros.

Fashion chain H&M had to pay the highest fine in Germany at €35m in 2020 due to insufficient legal basis for its online store’s data processing. (kae/SDA)

Source :Blick