The European personal data regulator adopted on Tuesday, December 6, three binding decisions that could lead to heavy fines against the Meta group, accused by a privacy association of circumventing the regulations.
These decisions, which “address important legal issues”, according to a press release from the European Data Protection Board (EDPS), have not been disclosed.
A new sanctions bill
But according to the Wall Street Journal, which cites sources familiar with the matter, this decision questions the legal basis on which the Meta group relies to monetize its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms through advertising, and demands an economic sanction. substantial.
Once the decisions have been notified to the Irish Data Protection Authority (DPC), in charge of controlling the American group in Europe, it will have a month to present a new draft of sanctions.
For the social network, the decisions adopted on Tuesday “are not the final decision and it is too early to speculate,” a spokesman told AFP on Tuesday.
Deny users GDPR rights
According to the privacy association Noyb, which has filed three complaints against the group, Facebook has claimed since the entry into force of the General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD) in May 2018 that the processing of its users’ personal data, including for advertising purposes, it is essential for the proper functioning of its services.
This decision is “a blow to Meta’s profits in the EU. Now you have to ask people if they want their data to be used for advertising or not. (…) This decision also guarantees fair competition conditions with other advertisers”. he added Tuesday night in a new press release.
In October 2021, the DPC had established a draft decision validating Facebook’s choice and suggesting a fine of 26 to 36 million euros for lack of transparency.
3,000 million euros provisioned
The French Cnil and other protection authorities had expressed their disagreement with this sanction project, considered too weak, and had asked the EDPS to judge the dispute.
According to the Politico site, which consulted financial documents, the Meta group has provisioned 3,000 million euros for possible European sanctions in 2022 and 2023.
The Irish Constable already sentenced him in September to a fine of 405 million euros for failures in the treatment of minors’ data, and in November to 265 million euros for not having sufficiently protected the data of his users.
In France, the Cnil, guarantor of internet privacy, had sentenced him in January 2022 to a fine of 60 million euros for his practices regarding “cookies”, these digital trackers used to better target advertising.
Source: BFM TV
