The Irish Data Protection Commission has asked Facebook to stop transferring user data from the European Union to the USA. A tentative order was sent in late August, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Facebook confirmed that the Irish Data Protection Authority has opened an investigation into its data transfers from the EU to the US.
The move follows a Legal decision of the European Union in July that the data transmission standard between the EU and the USA does not adequately protect the privacy of users because the EU has stricter data protection laws than the US - and because the US government could collect data from EU citizens under its surveillance laws. This is a major data protection issue for EU businesses and residents.
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The decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union invalidated the EU-US Privacy Shield, which allowed companies to send data from EU citizens to the US. Following this decision, Facebook "has set out our position on how to ensure the long-term stability of international data transfers," said Nick Clegg, Facebook vice president for global affairs and communications.
"A lack of secure and legal international data transfers would damage the economy and hinder the growth of data-driven companies in the EU, just as we are aiming for recovery COVID-19"Said Clegg in a privacy statement on Wednesday. He said this could mean that technology companies, hospitals and universities in Europe cannot use US cloud providers or call centers outside the EU." The impact would extend beyond the business community and be critical for public services such as health and education. "
The Irish DPC declined to comment.
Continue reading: Facebook can see your web activity. Here's how to stop itThe decision of the EU court came after the Austrian data protection activist Maximilian Schrems argued against the privacy shield in 2019 and stated that his Facebook data would be transferred to the US where government surveillance programs could access it.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in July that he was "deeply disappointed" with the decision.
"Data flows are critical not only for technology companies, but also for companies of all sizes in every sector," said Ross. "As our economies continue their post-COVID-19 recovery, it is critical that companies - including the 5,300+ current Privacy Shield participants - are able to transmit data without interruption, consistent with the strong protections of the Privacy Shield is. "
Schrems successfully questioned the Safe Harbor framework back in 2015.
