Secuzine

spot_img

Atos Cybersecurity Unit Receives Up to $2 Billion Bid from Airbus

Airbus has proposed a non-binding offer of 1.5-1.8 billion euros ($1.6-$2.0 billion) to acquire Atos's cybersecurity unit BDS. This move comes as Airbus aims...

‘Privacy Sandbox’ Breach, Citing Unfair Advantage

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, faces a monumental setback as it was slapped with a record-breaking fine of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission. This substantial penalty, one of the most significant in the five years since the inception of the GDPR, marks a turning point in data privacy enforcement. The ruling stems from Meta’s failure to adhere to a 2020 decision by the European Union’s highest court, which stated that data transferred from Facebook users in Europe to the United States did not receive adequate protection from American intelligence agencies.

While Meta intends to appeal the decision, the repercussions of this landmark ruling extend beyond the fine itself. It remains uncertain if and when Meta will need to segregate the data of Facebook users in Europe, a move that could significantly impact its operations. Simultaneously, European Union and American officials are negotiating a new data-sharing agreement that could nullify the EU’s ruling, providing legal safeguards for companies like Meta to continue data transfers between the US and Europe.

This ruling, which comes with a grace period of at least five months before compliance is mandatory, exclusively pertains to Facebook and not its subsidiaries, Instagram and WhatsApp. Nonetheless, the decision underscores how government policies are disrupting the traditional cross-border flow of data, with companies increasingly compelled to store data within the country of origin due to data protection rules and national security laws.

The ramifications of this decision reach beyond Meta, illustrating the challenges companies face in transferring data between the E.U. and the U.S. Meta’s potential obligation to delete vast amounts of data related to European users could pose technical challenges given the interconnected nature of internet companies.

This ruling coincides almost precisely with the fifth anniversary of GDPR, which has faced criticism for its lack of enforcement. Privacy activists argue that the GDPR has not fulfilled its potential, partly due to provisions requiring regulators in the country where a company’s European Union headquarters are based to enforce the law, which has led to disparities in enforcement across EU member states. Ireland, home to the regional headquarters of Meta and other tech giants, has been particularly scrutinized.