Meta fined record $1.3 billion by European Data Protection Board

Meta - the parent company of ‘Family of Apps’ including Instagram and Facebook, amongst others - has been ordered to pay a record $1.3 billion (€1.2 billion) fine by the privacy regulators of the European Union (EU).

This financial penalty by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) is a result of the tech giant sending user data to the United States on the basis of standard contractual clauses (SCCs) since July 16, 2020, and failing to adhere to EU’s privacy rules. 

Furthermore, Meta has also been ordered to bring its data transfers into compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

It is to be noted that the fine imposed on Meta is the largest ever levied under EU’s GDPR. Prior to this, Amazon had been fined $805.7 million (€746 million) in 2021.

As per Andrea Jelinek, EDPB Chair, “The EDPB found that Meta IE’s infringement is very serious since it concerns transfers that are systematic, repetitive and continuous. Facebook has millions of users in Europe, so the volume of personal data transferred is massive. The unprecedented fine is a strong signal to organisations that serious infringements have far-reaching consequence

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