Is Facebook Being Blocked Across Europe?
Meta, which is the parent company of Facebook is entangled in a legal dispute with the European Union over data transfer laws and there are ample chances that its services may get banned across the whole continent. There is also a possibility that Facebook may withdraw it services.
So far, Meta has held its position strongly on legal grounds but in legal battles the situation can turn upside down in a glimpse of a second.
Facebook Issues Regarding Data Privacy
Earlier this year, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) narrowly restrained from issuing a preliminary order against Facebook to stop it from transferring the private information of its citizens to its home country (United States).
Business Post Ireland has reported that local watchdogs have raised their voice in this regard and as a result the DPC has delayed the final decision.
As per reported by TechCrunch, cross-border complaints need cooperation from Data Protection Authorities of the affected country as per Europe’s GDPR law. This law enables watchdogs to articulate their stance in this type of situation.
In this regard, the Deputy Commissioner of DPC has confirmed that they have been receiving objections from local data protection Authorities.
A Time-consuming Battle
Facebook has accepted that the DPC’s decision can cost it destructive and irrevocable damage, if passed. The delay in the decision is a short-term win for the Big tech as it will provide it more time to prepare, exactly what it needs at the moment.
One year ago, Whatsapp also landed it in hot waters in a similar kind of situation. At that time, the European General Data Protection Regulation law felt like a hammer on Whatsapp as it was ordered to pay a whopping $267 million as fine. This is still one of the heaviest fines levied against any social media platform in the history. In another example, Irish Authorities fined Twitter a $550,000 as well.
For the time being, Facebook is under the spot light but it is expected that the legal battle will stretch to 2023 but it is a fact that the Irish Authorities are pretty successful in this type of cases.
