Meta gears up for fine and ban in clash over EU-US data transfers

Meta Platforms Inc. is poised to be hit with a fine and a ban on using unsafe contractual clauses to underpin transatlantic data transfers, in an escalation of a legal battle that once prompted the social media giant to threaten a total withdrawal from the European Union.

The Irish Data Protection Commission, the main EU privacy watchdog in charge of Meta’s Facebook, will announce the decision next month, the company said in its quarterly report.

“It is expected that in addition to the transfer suspension order,” the Irish authority will be ordering Meta to bring its processing in line with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and “and imposing a fine,” Meta said.