First modification:
A court ruling that prevents Meta, the company that groups Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, from transferring data from European users to its headquarters in the United States could cause the cessation of operations in Europe.
Before the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the company’s representatives assured that the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union could have consequences for its “ability to provide services.”
Meta, based in Menlo Park, California, points out that this ruling makes it difficult to personalize online ads, its main source of income, due to new privacy restrictions established in the European Union.
“If we are not allowed to transfer data between countries and regions in which we operate, or if we are restricted from sharing data between our products and services, the ability to provide our services could be affected,” the company warned.
The ruling of the European justice invalidates the so-called “protection shield”, an agreement between the European Union and the United States so that companies can transfer user data between continents.
Meta has threatened to withdraw Facebook and Instagram from the European Union if the EU does not facilitate data transfers with the United States. If neither party yields, these social networks will no longer be available in Europe. pic.twitter.com/TzoPB6aJ11
– JorgeMost (@Jorge_Most_) February 7, 2022
According to the Court, the shield was invalidated because, in its opinion, it allowed interference with the fundamental rights of European citizens at the time their data is transferred to the North American country and without the “adequate level” of guarantees regarding the General Data Protection Regulation. Data, RGDP, of the European Union.
Under the agreement, US companies that processed personal data that came from the European Union had to be registered in the system at the US Department of Commerce, as well as inform the data owner of the right.
According to the most recent information on its website, the commission left open the possibility of negotiating with the United States to obtain a new “protection shield” agreement, as long as it complies with the judicial resolution.
Digital evidence under discussion
The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, assured on Friday, February 4, that Google and Meta support European regulations on access to digital evidence.
“We believe that the regulation on electronic evidence represents a positive international precedent to support the needs of law enforcement, while guaranteeing privacy and due process for users,” a Google spokesperson told EFE.
Last week, the Council of the European Union met in France with Google’s President for Global Affairs, Kent Walker, and with Markus Reinisch, Facebook’s Vice President of Public Policy in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
“The representatives of the platforms are aware of their strength and therefore of their power and responsibility, and they ask for a legal framework, which interests us, because we want to offer it to them,” said Éric Dupond-Moretti, French Minister of Justice.
The objective of the tests, according to the Commission, is to continue the fight against hate speech, but the discussion, open since 2018, has not made significant progress.
EFE