European Union Fines Meta $1.3 Billion over Privacy Rules

The European Union fined Meta a record $1.3 billion for privacy violations¹ Monday. The EU ordered Meta to stop sending users' personal information to the United States by October. Meta owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner² (DPC) issued the fine. The punishment came after Meta continued to transfer Europeans' data beyond a 2020 EU court ruling that struck down an EU-U.S. data transfer agreement. The fine is the biggest since the EU's data privacy rules took effect five years ago.

Meta promised to appeal and asked courts to suspend the decision. Earlier, the company had warned that its services could end for users in Europe.

The company said, "There is no immediate³ disruption to Facebook in Europe." The decision applies to user information like names, email and IP addresses, messages, viewing history, location data and other information. The company uses the data for targeted online advertisements.

Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, and Jennifer Newstead, the company's chief legal officer, released a statement. They said the decision was unjust and "sets a dangerous precedent⁴ for the countless⁵ other companies transferring data between the EU and U.S."

The decision is the latest development in a legal battle that began in 2013. At that time, Austrian lawyer and privacy activist⁶ Max Schrems filed a complaint about how Facebook used his data. His complaint came after former U.S. National Security Agency worker Edward Snowden's disclosure of online surveillance by U.S. security agencies. That included information that Facebook gave to the agencies the personal data of Europeans.

The EU has rules that require social media services to block speech that European officials consider harmful. Europe has passed several rules requiring policing of information and control of users' personal information.

In 2020, the EU's top court struck down an agreement covering EU-U.S. data transfers called the Privacy Shield. The court said the measure did not do enough to protect Europeans from the U.S. government's electronic spying.

Europe and the United States signed a deal last year on a different Privacy Shield that Meta could use. The agreement is awaiting approval from European officials.

The DPC said it gave Meta five months to stop sending European user data to the U.S. It also gave the company six months to change its operations to stop transferring Europeans' user data to the U.S.

If the new privacy agreement takes effect before these deadlines, "our services can continue as they do today without any disruption or impact on users," Meta said.

Schrems thinks Meta has "no real chance" of getting the decision overturned. He said there is a good chance the new agreement could be struck down by the EU's top court.

"Unless U.S. surveillance laws get fixed⁷, Meta will likely have to keep EU data in the EU," Schrems said in a statement.

Meta warned in its latest earnings⁸ report that, without a legal agreement for data transfers, it will stop offering its products and services in Europe. The social media company might have to carry out a costly⁹ and complex change to its operations if it has to stop sending user data to the U.S.

Words in This Story

transfer — n. the act of taking something from one place (such as a computer) and moving it to another place (such as another computer)

disrupt — n. to interfere¹⁰ with an activity or the flow of information

precedent — n. something that serves as an example for future action

complaint –n. a formal document stating that you are dissatisfied and require something done

disclosure — n. the act of showing something that was hidden

surveillance — adj. carefully watching and recording someone especially in connection with crime or disease

1 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

2 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

5 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

8 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

9 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

10 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。