Instagram Facebook can be closed in Europe

According to European media, in the annual report to the American Paper Commission with Value, Meta warned last Thursday that if the new framework is not approved, the company will close Facebook and Instagram in Europe.

Meta emphasises that processing user data among countries is crucial to targeting business and advertising.

If a new framework is not approved, “we will probably not be able to offer our most important products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe”, Meta said.

Meta was once able to use a frame of data transfer called PrivacyShield as the legal basis for transatlantic data transfers. In July 2020, however, the European Court of Justice cancelled the agreement due to data protection violations. The court found that the existing framework does not adequately protect the privacy of European citizens.

As a result, American companies were limited to sending European data to US users and had to rely on the SCC (standard contractual clause). The EU and the US have said they are working on a new or up-to-date version of the agreement.

“Securation of a new agreement on the safe flow of transatlantic data is a priority for us and our American partners,” said a European Commission spokesman for Euronews.

Negotiations have intensified in recent months, with discussions on a technical and political level. This includes regular contacts between Commissioner Reynolds and his colleague, US Trade Secretary Gina Raymondo, added.

“These negotiations have been continuing for some time, given the complexity of issues under discussion and the need to establish a balance between national privacy and security,” said the spokesman.

Nick Cleggg, deputy chairman of Meta for global affairs, said they have absolutely no desire and no plans to withdraw from Europe, but Meta and many other organisations and services rely on the transfer of data between the EU and the US to work on global services.

“We call on regulators to adopt a proportional and pragmatic approach to minimize the disruption of thousands of companies that, like Facebook, are based on these safe data transmission mechanisms,” he said.