If Europe launches data protection laws, Meta would withdraw its social networks from the continent:
- The EU would be working on a citizen data protection law. In this way, the transmission of personal data to the United States would be in question.
- Faced with this possibility, the Meta company assured that they would be willing to withdraw their most important services such as Facebook and Instagram from that continent.
- Some EU lawmakers condemned Meta’s remarks, saying the company cannot blackmail the European Union.
The controversial technology firm, Meta, announced that it would withdraw its social networks Facebook and Instagram from Europe if incompatible laws are approved on that continent. Consequently, the European authorities are working on legislation for the protection of their citizens’ data.
If this new law is approved, there would be restrictions on the transfer of personal data to the United States from Europe. This would be incompatible with the business of Mark Zuckerberg’s company, which would withdraw its main platforms from the euro zone.
This Meta warning can be read in its report published on Thursday of last week. The response of representatives of the European authorities has not been long in coming. Some legislators claimed that the EU should not be blackmailed by the aforementioned technology firm.
Meta social networks would leave Europe
With that announcement that Meta would withdraw its social networks from Europe, a new episode of controversy related to this company opens. It is not the first time that the firm has used pressure as a way to maintain its hegemony in the world of virtual interaction.
However, the company implies that these are not blackmail measures, but that said law would affect its business. In this way, under a negative and detrimental environment to operate, any company would freely withdraw from a country or group of countries.
« If a new transatlantic data transfer framework is not adopted and we cannot continue to rely on SCCs (Standard Contractual Clauses) or rely on other alternative means of data transfer from Europe to the United States, it is likely that we will not be able to offer some of our most important products and services such as Facebook and Instagram », expresses Meta in the aforementioned report.
Meanwhile, whether it is a case of unsustainable business or blackmail, the truth of the matter is that Meta would withdraw its social networks from Europe. It is important to note that the signing decision would be made due to a decision to protect the personal data of its citizens by the European Union.
The EU must not be blackmailed
As already highlighted, the reaction by European legislators was a harsh response. In that sense, they accuse the US company of trying to blackmail the European Union. In this way, the deputy Axel Voss, assured that « Meta cannot simply blackmail the EU to give up its data protection standards ». These words were published on his Twitter account.
In a consultation with some media, a representative of the technology firm said that the company has no desire or plans to leave Europe. Likewise, he pointed out that this is a concern that is not new and has been shared in other reports. He added that, however, there is a simple reality and that is that Meta and other technology companies depend on data transmission.
In any case, based on these premises, Meta would withdraw its social networks from the European zone, which would harm this firm and its users. A similar event happened in August 2020, when the Irish authorities asked Facebook to stop sending personal data of its citizens to the United States.
This latest controversy remains alive, and the island’s Data Protection Commission would be ready to make a final decision by mid-2022.
