In 2020, the European Court of Justice brought to life a new act that prevented companies operating in the EU from transferring data to other country soil. However, as Meta failed to comply with this law, the data watchdog was forced to impose a $1.3 billion penalty, which is perhaps the highest in the history of Meta until now. The company has been given a time frame of six months or until October 12th, 2023, to stop using the SCC clause and start following the new set of GDPR rules, where information generated in one continent should be stored and analyzed in the same region.
Meta’s non-compliance raises questions about whether the parent company of the world’s largest social network firm will follow the new rules as stated. Though most multinational data centers take a pledge to respect the privacy and security of users, they often act pale when a data breach or rule-break occurs. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Meta will comply with the GDPR and ensure the privacy and security of European user data.
In conclusion, the €1.2 billion penalty imposed on Meta for transferring European user data to servers operating in the United States is a significant violation of GDPR rules. The six-month time frame given to the company to comply with the new GDPR rules raises questions about whether the company will follow the rules as stated. As multinational data centers often fail to respect the privacy and security of users, it remains to be seen whether Meta will comply with the GDPR and ensure the privacy and security of European user data.