Facebook and Instagram could be taken offline in Europe this summer. An Irish watchdog ruled that the parent company Meta is not allowed to share data from Europeans with the United States. If the EU regulators agree to this, the social media platforms will no longer be usable with us.
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Laurence TorckBron: The Independent, Politico
Today at 15:31–
“This draft decision, which is under review by European data protection authorities, relates to a conflict between European and US law that is currently being resolved,” a Meta spokesperson said. Politico. “We are pleased with the agreement between the United States and Europe on a legal framework that allows for the continued cross-border transfer of data. We expect this framework will enable us to keep families, communities and economies connected.”
Facebook has more than 300 million daily active users in Europe, accounting for more than 10 percent of all users worldwide. There is an even higher percentage of Instagram users in Europe, accounting for more than a quarter of all users.
Problems for years
The Irish Data Protection Commission’s blocking order has been sent to other European privacy regulators, who are expected to comment on the ruling next month.
The dispute now comes after years of legal battles between privacy activists and the US tech giant, with the European Court of Justice annulling an EU-US agreement on data flows in 2020.
In March, Meta indicated that unless a new trans-Atlantic data transfer framework is adopted, they “will not be able to offer their core products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe.”
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