Meta Signs Data Transfer Agreement to Stay in EU

At last, the EU and Meta have come to an agreement over the data transfer problem. The speculations about the questionable future of Meta’s apps in the region started early in March after a note related to transatlantic data transfers. More on that below. 

Complications Resolved

Meta received the original preliminary data transfer suspension order from the EU regulator back in 2020. The order required Meta to stop EU-US data transfers following GDPR regulations. The solution to the problem has been in development since then, but the solution has been delayed by the absence of active assistance from the SEC regarding risk transparency guarantees. 

The latest Meta’s SEC note included info about a possible withdrawal of Facebook and Instagram from the EU, which activated a wave of reporting. Now it looks like a wording problem because Meta has quickly reported that it doesn’t have any plans or desire to stop working in Europe. This is a true statement given that the President of the EU Commission announced a new preliminary agreement on data flow between the EU and the US. So, yeah, Facebook will stay even though the Europeans are not very dependent on the platform. According to numerous reports by average users and local authorities, the withdrawal of Facebook wouldn’t be a big issue. 

True Impact

Such a non-panic reaction of the EU users makes Facebook’s and Instagram’s true impact quite questionable in the region. Do you think the withdrawal of these apps in the EU would cause huge consequences for users or not? Why? Why not? Let’s chat about it in the comments under the article. You can also share this news to calm down your friends who’ve been nervous about the potential shut-off of Instagram and Facebook in Europe. More important tech news is already on the way, so stay tuned!