On May 22nd, the European Data Protection Board imposed a record-breaking fine of 1.2 billion euros (close to 6.5 billion reals) on Meta, which owns platforms that include Facebook and Instagram, for violating privacy regulation in the European Union.

The penalty was imposed because the company transferred personal information from the social network’s European users to be processed in the United States. According to the entity, this goes against the privacy policy that has been in force since 2018. Among the information collected are names, emails, viewing history, geolocation, and personal messages.

In its defense, Meta claims that the practice is unavoidable for technology companies. “Without the ability to transfer data across borders, the internet risks being carved up into national and regional silos, restricting the global economy and leaving citizens in different countries unable to access many of the shared services we have come to rely on”, said Nick Clegg, president of global issues at Meta, and Jennifer Newstead, the company’s legal director in a statement.

Despite the company’s requests, the decision has not been reconsidered. “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”, said Andrea Jelinek, president of the European Council of Data Protection, in a press conference. Meta will have five months to correct its practices.

This is the third time Meta has been fined in 2023 alone. In January, the company was already slapped with a fine of close to 400 million euros (2.15 billion reals) for violations on how it has employed users’ personal information to target advertisement. Brazil has also had regulation that protects personal data since 2020 (during its collecting, processing, and storage) called General Protection of Personal Data Law (LGPD).

Sources: AP News, CNN Brasil, Jornal Nacional, G1, and Meta.

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