Facebook parent company Meta has been fined a record €1.2 billion ($1.29 billion) for violating European Union (EU) data laws, the Irish Data Protection Authority (DPC) said in a statement on Monday.
This fine, which is the largest GDPR fine ever, was imposed for Meta’s transfers of personal data to the U.S. on the basis of standard contractual clauses (SCCs) since 16 July 2020, the agency said. The DPC has ordered Meta to bring its data transfers into compliance with the GDPR.
The case concerns Facebook’s involvement in widespread surveillance by Anglo-American intelligence agencies, which was exposed by American whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Andrea Jelinek, EDPB Chair, said: “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.”
In its binding decision of 13 April 2023, the EDPB instructed the IE DPA to amend its draft decision and to impose a fine on Meta IE. Given the seriousness of the infringement, the EDPB found that the starting point for calculation of the fine should be between 20% and 100% of the applicable legal maximum. The EDPB also instructed the IE DPA to order Meta IE to bring processing operations into compliance with Chapter V GDPR, by ceasing the unlawful processing, including storage, in the U.S. of personal data of European users transferred in violation of the GDPR, within 6 months after notification of the IE SA’s final decision.
According to the Irish Data Protection Authority, the firm breached the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The Irish Data Protection Authority (DPC) is the national independent authority responsible for protecting the personal data of individuals in the EU.
There has been no initial comment from Meta or its owner Mark Zuckerberg.
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