The data privacy regulatory authority in the European Union has imposed a record fine of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) on Meta for its handling of user data and has given the company five months to cease transferring that data to the United States.
Meta stated in a statement that it will appeal the ruling, including the "unjustified and unnecessary fine that sets a dangerous precedent for countless other companies." It added that "without the ability to transfer data across borders, the internet faces the risk of being divided into national and regional silos."
The Irish Data Protection Commission imposed the fine after Meta continued transferring data following a 2020 ruling by a European court that invalidated the data transfer agreement between the EU and the United States. The Irish Data Protection Commission is the main regulatory body in the EU for many of the world's major technology companies due to their European headquarters being located in Ireland.
The fine surpasses the one imposed by Luxembourg on Amazon in 2021 for privacy violations, which amounted to 746 million euros.
