Meta has been fined a record-breaking USD$1.3 billion by European Union regulators for violating EU privacy laws by transferring the personal data of Facebook users to servers in the United States.
The European Data Protection Board announced the fine in a statement Monday, saying it followed an inquiry into Facebook by the Irish Data Protection Commission, the chief regulator overseeing Meta’s operations in Europe.
The move highlights ongoing uncertainty about how global businesses may legally transfer EU users’ data to servers overseas.
The EU regulator said the processing and storage of personal data in the United States contravened Europe’s signature data privacy law, known as the General Data Protection Regulation.
Chapter 5 of the GDPR sets out the conditions under which personal data can be transferred to third countries or international organizations.
The fine is the largest ever levied under GDPR. The previous record of €746 million ($805.7 million) was levied against Amazon (AMZN) in 2021.
Meta has also been ordered to cease the processing of personal data of European users in the United States within six months.
[Source: CNN]
