EU court leaves Facebook more exposed to privacy challenges

Facebook is subject to EU privacy challenges from watchdogs in any of the bloc’s member states, not just its lead regulator in Ireland, the bloc’s top court ruled Tuesday, in a ruling that has implications for other big tech companies.

Under the EU’s stringent privacy rules, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, only one country’s national data protection authority has the power to handle legal cases involving cross-border data complaints in a system known as “one-stop shop.” For Facebook, which has its European headquarters in Dublin, it is Ireland’s Data Protection Commission.