Meta breach of GDPR costs a record fine of 1.2 billion euros

Meta breach of GDPR costs a record fine of 1.2 billion euros

Brussels, 23.5.2023

Facebook owner Meta Platforms has been hit by a record €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) fine by European Union regulators for transferring user information to the United States.

The Irish Data Protection Commission, which oversees Meta’s activities in the EU, has accused the company of violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by transferring personal data, although a European court banned the practice in a 2020 ruling had.

In addition to the fine, the DPC has ordered Meta to halt the transfer of data from European Facebook users to the US and delete any data that has already been transferred in the past six months.

The €1.2 billion fine is the highest ever for a GDPR breach, beating the previous record €746 million imposed on Amazon in 2021. Meta has had to pay fines of around 1.3 billion euros since 2021. The Irish data protection authority had accused the US company of various GDPR violations.

The ruling only applies to Facebook, not Instagram and WhatsApp, without directly affecting Facebook’s EU service. However, it may affect Meta user data storage, including photos, friend connections, and direct messages, as well as ad targeting features. The record-breaking fine underscores the growing risks for companies that fail to comply with EU data protection rules.

Meta intends to appeal the decision and is optimistic about the creation of a new EU-US partnership agreement. This could come into force before the Irish regulator’s deadlines and render the decision ineffective.