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Meta and Facebook logos are seen in this illustration taken February 15, 2022. The ban on such advertising, which targets users by harvesting their data, is a setback for U.S. tech giant Meta Platforms (META.O), the owner of the two social media services, which has opposed efforts to curb the practice. The Norwegian data regulator, Datatilsynet, in September said it had referred the ongoing fine to the European regulator, as its fine was valid in Norway only and due to expire on Nov. 3. Norway is not a member of the EU but is part of the European single market. The decision affects some 250 million Facebook and Instagram users in Europe, Datatilsynet said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, EDPB, Datatilsynet, Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Meta, REUTERS, EU, Facebook, European Union, European Economic, European Data Protection, Reuters, Economic, Big Tech, Thomson Locations: Norway, Ireland, Norwegian, Europe

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — European officials widened a ban on Meta’s “behavioral advertising” practices to most of Europe on Wednesday, setting up a broader conflict between the continent’s privacy-conscious institutions and an American technology giant. The decision by the European Data Protection Board represents a sharp escalation of a tussle that began in Norway, where privacy officials imposed a daily fine of 1 million kroner — roughly $90,000 — on Meta for obtaining that data without adequate consent. The latest decision “unjustifiably ignores that careful and robust regulatory process,” the company said in a statement following the European board's action. Tobias Judin, head of the international section at the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, said Meta's proposed steps likely won't meet European legal standards. “They continue with their unlawful activities to this very day, simply because breaking the law is so profitable.”

Persons: Meta, “, Tobias Judin, Meta's, wouldn't, ” Judin Organizations: FRANCISCO, —, Facebook, European Data Protection, Meta, Norwegian Data Protection Authority Locations: Europe, American, Norway

☆ EU clamps down on Meta’s use of personal data for targeted ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Meta will soon be forced to seek European users’ consent before using their personal information to deliver those users targeted advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. A European Union-wide ban announced Wednesday dealing with Meta’s handling of user data proposes blanket restrictions which could be finalized as soon as late next week. The restrictions were announced by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), a group of EU data regulators representing numerous countries in the bloc. Under EU rules known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Meta must cite one of several specific legal justifications in order to collect and use people’s personal data for advertising. It directs the Irish Data Protection Commission, Meta’s primary privacy regulator in Europe, to issue a final rule on the matter by Nov. 10.

Persons: Meta, It’s, “ Meta, “, ”, Anu Organizations: CNN, Facebook, European Data Protection, EU, General Data Protection, Meta, Irish Data Protection Locations: Europe

☆ EU data watchdog urges more privacy safeguards for digital euro
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The European Union's data protection watchdog on Wednesday called for stronger privacy safeguards in EU draft legislation to underpin a digital euro. Approval of the draft law has been slowed down to give more time to address concerns that the digital euro will lack the anonymity of cash for low-value transactions. The draft law should also "further clarify" the data protection responsibilities of the ECB and of payments services providers (PSP). The board said it strongly welcomed that digital euro users will always have the choice to pay in digital euros or in cash. “A high standard of privacy and data protection is instrumental in citizens' trust in this new digital currency," said Irene Loizidou Nicolaidou, the EDPB's deputy chair.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Irene Loizidou Nicolaidou, Huw Jones, Bernadette Baum, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, European Central Bank, European Commission, Data Protection, ECB, PSP, Thomson

The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Meta Platforms Inc FollowOSLO, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Norway's data regulator will refer the fine it has imposed on Meta Platforms (META.O) to the European data authority, it said on Thursday, a move that could make the fine permanent and widen it to the European Union. The Norwegian regulator, Datatilsynet, is now referring its decision to the European Data Protection Board, which could make the decision permanent if it agrees with the Norwegian regulator's decision. "Datatilsynet has asked the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) for a binding decision in the Meta case," the regulator said in a statement. "In the request, we ask that the Norwegian temporary ban on behaviour-based marketing on Facebook and Instagram be made permanent and extended to the entire EU/EEA."

Persons: Yves Herman, Instagram, Datatilsynet, Meta, Gwladys, Terje Solsvik Organizations: REUTERS, Meta, European Union, Facebook, Big Tech, European Data Protection, Data Protection, EEA, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Norwegian, Norway

A smartphone with Meta logo is seen in front of displayed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta in this illustration taken, October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Meta Platforms Inc FollowOSLO, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) is breaking European data privacy rules in Norway, the country's data regulator told a court on Wednesday, in a case that could have wider European implications. The fine is valid as Meta is not respecting European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), said Hanne Inger Bjurstroem Jahren, a lawyer representing the regulator, Datatilsynet. "There is no discussion on whether the company is in violation of these rules ... Today Meta breaks GDPR rules," she told the court, speaking on the last day of a two-day hearing. Datatilsynet could make the fine permanent by referring its decision to the European Data Protection Board, which has the power to do so, if it agrees with the Norwegian regulator's decision.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Meta, Instagram, Hanne Inger Bjurstroem Jahren, Datatilsynet, Gwladys, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Big Tech, Facebook, Data Protection, Meta, European Data Protection, European, Thomson Locations: Norway, Norwegian, Europe

☆ Facebook owner Meta Platforms seeks to stop privacy breach fine in Norway
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Meta Platforms Inc FollowOSLO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) will ask a court in Norway on Tuesday to stop a fine the country's data regulator has imposed on the owner of Facebook and Instagram for breaching users' privacy, in a case that could have wider European implications. Since Aug. 14, Meta Platforms has been fined 1 million crowns ($94,313) per day for harvesting users' data and using it to target advertising at them, called behavioural advertising, a business model common to Big Tech. Meta Platforms is asking for a temporary injunction against the order, which imposes a daily fine through to Nov. 3. Datatilsynet could make the fine permanent by referring its decision to the European Data Protection Board, which has the power to do so, if it agrees with the Norwegian regulator's decision.

Persons: Yves Herman, Meta, Tobias Judin, Datatilsynet, Gwladys Fouche, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Facebook, Big Tech, European Union, European Economic, EEA, Reuters . Regulator, Meta, Reuters, European Data Protection, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Norway, Norwegian, Europe, Oslo

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File PhotoOSLO, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) is asking a court in Norway to stop a fine the Nordic country's data regulator imposed on the owner of Facebook and Instagram for breaching users' privacy, according to a court filing. Meta Platforms will be fined 1 million crowns ($97,700) per day from Aug. 14 over privacy breaches, Norway's data protection authority told Reuters on Monday, in a decision that could have wider European implications. Meta Platforms is asking for a temporary injunction against the order, according to a court filing. Meta Platforms did not reply to a request for comment. The Norwegian data regulator, Datatilsynet, said Meta Platforms was seeking to stop the imposition of the fine.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Tobias Judin, Datatilsynet, Gwladys Fouche, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Facebook, Reuters, Big Tech, European Data Protection, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, OSLO, Norway, Norwegian, Europe, Oslo

The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo/File PhotoOSLO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms (META.O) will be fined 1 million Norwegian crowns ($98,500) per day over privacy breaches from Aug. 14, Norway's data protection authority told Reuters on Monday. The regulator, Datatilsynet, had said on July 17 that the company would be fined if it did not address privacy breaches the regulator had identified. Meta Platforms did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Norway is not a member of the European Union but is part of the European single market.

Persons: Yves Herman, Datatilsynet, Tobias Judin, Meta, Meta's, Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Meta, Reuters, Big Tech, European Data Protection, European Union, Facebook, Ireland's Data, European, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, OSLO, Norway, Norwegian, Europe, Oslo

☆ Norway regulator to fine Meta over privacy breaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Regulator Datatilsynet said it would charge the fine every day from Aug. 4 until Nov. 3 unless Meta takes action. Datatilsynet has referred its move to the European Data Protection Board, which, if the latter agrees, could make the fine permanent and widen the decision's territorial scope in Europe. Datatilsynet's decision comes days after the European Union's top court ruled Meta cannot harvest user data for behavioural advertising. In December the data regulator in Ireland (DPC), where Meta has its European headquarters, said the firm had to stop the practice. "We continue to constructively engage with the Irish DPC, our lead regulator in the EU, regarding our compliance with its decision," Meta said.

Persons: Datatilsynet, Meta, Tobias Judin, Gwladys Fouche, Anna Ringstrom, Jason Neely Organizations: Meta, Big Tech, Reuters, European Data Protection, European, NRK, Thomson Locations: OSLO, Norway, Datatilsynet, Europe, Ireland, Norwegian

☆ EU seals new US data transfer pact, but challenge likely
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, July 10 (Reuters) - The European Commission announced a new data transfer pact with the United States on Monday, seeking to end the legal uncertainty plaguing thousands of companies that transfer personal data across the Atlantic. The move was immediately criticised by non-profit group noyb, led by privacy activist Max Schrems, which said it would challenge the agreement. U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the data transfer pact and said it reflected a "joint commitment to strong data privacy protections." Earlier this year, the EU's privacy watchdog, the European Data Protection Board, said the latest data agreement still fell short and urged the commission to do more to protect Europeans' privacy rights. Europe's top court scuppered the previous two deals after challenges by Schrems because of concerns about U.S. intelligence agencies' accessing European citizens' private data.

Persons: Max Schrems, Joe Biden, Didier Reynders, Schrems, Cecilia Bonefeld, Dahl, Foo Yun Chee, Kanishka Singh, Philip Blenkinsop, Christina Fincher, Leslie Adler Organizations: European Commission, Atlantic, European Court, Justice, Airbus, Apple, Ericsson, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, Data Protection, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, United States, Washington

☆ EU seals new US data transfer pact but challenge ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, July 10 (Reuters) - The European Commission announced a new data transfer pact with the United States on Monday, seeking to end the legal uncertainty plaguing thousands of companies which transfer personal data across the Atlantic. However, the move was immediately criticised by non-profit group noyb, led by privacy activist Max Schrems, which said it would challenge the agreement. The EU executive said measures taken by the United States ensured an adequate level of protection for Europeans' personal data transferred across the Atlantic for commercial use. It said new binding safeguards, such as that limiting U.S. intelligence services' access to EU data to what is "necessary and proportionate" and the setting up of a Data Protection Review Court for Europeans, address the concerns raised by Europe's top court. Earlier this year, EU privacy watchdog the European Data Protection Board said the latest data agreement still fell short and urged the Commission to do more to protect Europeans' privacy rights.

Persons: Max Schrems, Didier Reynders, Schrems, Cecilia Bonefeld, Dahl, Foo Yun Chee, Philip Blenkinsop, Christina Fincher Organizations: European Commission, EU, Atlantic, European Court, Justice, Airbus, Apple, Ericsson, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, European Data Protection, Commission, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, United States, EU

☆ Microsoft flags over $400 mln charge for Irish privacy violation fine on LinkedIn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 1 (Reuters) - Software major Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) said on Thursday it expected to take a charge of about $425 million in the current quarter for a potential fine from an Irish regulator over alleged privacy violations at its unit LinkedIn. The Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC) launched an investigation into the professional networking platform in 2018 over whether its targeted advertising practices violated the European data protection law. The regulator's order is not public and Microsoft said that LinkedIn was informed about the preliminary decision in April. Microsoft added it would dispute the proposed fine after receiving a final order. Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: IDPC, Yuvraj Malik, Rashmi Organizations: Software, Microsoft Corp, Irish Data Protection, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Irish, Bengaluru

☆ Meta hit with record $1.3 bln fine over data transfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The fine, imposed by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), came after Meta continued to transfer data beyond a 2020 EU court ruling that invalidated an EU-U.S. data transfer pact. It tops the previous record EU privacy fine of 746 million euros handed by Luxembourg to Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) in 2021. "Without the ability to transfer data across borders, the internet risks being carved up into national and regional silos," Meta said. Europe's top court, the European Court of Justice, threw out the two previous pacts over concerns about U.S. surveillance. Unless U.S. surveillance laws gets fixed, Meta will likely have to keep EU data in the EU," he said in a statement.

☆ Meta slapped with record $1.3 billion EU data privacy fine over transfer of Facebook data to US
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The European Data Protection Board announced the fine in a statement Monday, saying it followed an inquiry into Facebook (FB) by the Irish Data Protection Commission, the chief regulator overseeing Meta’s operations in Europe. The fine is the largest ever levied under Europe’s signature data privacy law, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. Meta has also been ordered to cease the processing of personal data of European users in the United States within six months. Meta’s infringement is “very serious since it concerns transfers that are systematic, repetitive and continuous,” said Andrea Jelinek, chair of the European Data Protection Board. EU and US policymakers were on a “clear path” to resolving this conflict under a new transatlantic Data Privacy Framework.

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O)-backed OpenAI took ChatGPT offline in Italy last month after the country's data protection authority, also known as Garante, temporarily banned the chatbot and launched a probe over the artificial intelligence application's suspected breach of privacy rules. Last month, Garante said ChatGPT has an "absence of any legal basis that justifies the massive collection and storage of personal data" to "train" the chatbot. Italy was the first western European country to curb ChatGPT, but its rapid development has attracted attention from lawmakers and regulators in several countries. Following Garante's interest in ChatGPT, European Data Protection Board, the body that unites Europe's national privacy watchdogs, set up a task force on the chatbot earlier this month. Garante said it will continue its probe of ChatGPT and will work with the special task force.

☆ European privacy watchdog creates ChatGPT task force
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, April 13 (Reuters) - The body that unites Europe's national privacy watchdogs said on Thursday it had set up a task force on ChatGPT, a potentially important first step toward a common policy on setting privacy rules on artificial intelligence. The move by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) follows a unilateral move by Italy last month to curb ChatGPT - a stance that Germany's commissioner for data protection said could be followed in Europe's biggest economy. Spain's AEPD watchdog said on Thursday that it too would launch a preliminary investigation into potential data breaches by ChatGPT. "The EDPB decided to launch a dedicated task force to foster cooperation and to exchange information on possible enforcement actions conducted by data protection authorities." The EDPB is an independent body that oversees data protection rules in the European Union, and it is composed of national data protection watchdogs.

☆ European Data Protection Board creates ChatGPT task force
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, April 13 (Reuters) - The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) on Thursday moved to create a task force on ChatGPT, the agency said in a statement. The EDPB is an independent body that oversees data protection rules in the European Union, composed of national data protection watchdogs. "The EDPB members discussed the recent enforcement action undertaken by the Italian data protection authority against OpenAI about the Chat GPT service," the statement said. "The EDPB decided to launch a dedicated task force to foster cooperation and to exchange information on possible enforcement actions conducted by data protection authorities." A source at one national watchdog said member states hoped to align on policy following Italy's move to curb ChatGPT but that would take time.

☆ Irish regulator has month to make order on EU-US Facebook data transfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBLIN, April 13 (Reuters) - Ireland's data regulator has one month to make an order on blocking Facebook's transatlantic data flows, European Union regulators said on Thursday. EU regulators led by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) Helen Dixon have been finalising a ban on the legal tool used by Facebook to transfer European user data because of concerns U.S. intelligence agencies could access the information. Dixon, who is lead regulator for Facebook parent Meta (META.O) because its European headquarters are in Ireland, last month said the ban could be in place by mid-May. While the statement did not say what the decision was, Dixon has said other regulators had not disputed her order to ban the data transfer mechanism. Officials have said a new EU-U.S. data protection framework, which aims to offer EU citizens the same level of data protection as under European law, may be ready by July.

☆ Spain's data regulator asks EU data protection committee to evaluate ChatGPT issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, April 11 (Reuters) - Spain's data protection agency AEPD has asked Europe's data protection committee to evaluate privacy concerns surrounding OpenAI's artificial intelligence chatbox ChatGPT, the agency told Reuters on Tuesday, after the software was temporarily banned in Italy. "The AEPD understands that global processing operations that may have a significant impact on the rights of individuals require coordinated decisions at European level," a spokesperson for the agency said in an emailed statement. "Therefore, in the short term, it has requested that the issue of ChatGPT be included in the next Plenary of the European Data Protection Committee, so that harmonised actions can be implemented within the framework of the application of the General Data Protection Regulation." Reporting by Aislinn Laing; Writing by David LatonaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU privacy body raises concerns about possible U.S. data transfer pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The European Union data protection watchdog on Tuesday expressed concerns about a European Commission draft decision that could pave the way for a new data transfer pact with the United States, saying more should be done to protect Europeans' privacy rights. The European Data Protection Board's (EDPB) non-binding opinion comes after the Commission issued a draft decision in December saying U.S. safeguards against American intelligence activities were strong enough to address EU data privacy concerns. The Commission subsequently published a draft adequacy decision to which the EDPB, EU countries and EU lawmakers will have to review and offer non-binding opinions. A final adequacy decision is expected by the summer. Set up under landmark privacy rules known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EDPB is made up of representatives of national data protection authorities in the 27 EU countries and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) to ensure the consistent application of GDPR rules.

☆ Privacy Regulators Step Up Oversight of AI Use in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Catherine Stupp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

European privacy regulators are intensifying their scrutiny of companies’ use of artificial intelligence, hiring experts and opening new units to crack down on data violations. “AI is appearing in all sectors,” said Kari Laumann, head of a division for research, analysis and policy at Norway’s data protection authority. The regulator’s office has worked with 64 companies to test AI initiatives under its supervision, in a program started in 2020. Regulators have fined companies for privacy failings in their AI applications in recent years, but European data protection officials and privacy analysts say it is still unclear how to apply some aspects of European privacy law to the technology. Mr. Jairaj said he expects the EU’s coming legislation to force companies to look closely at third-party suppliers of AI products.

☆ Twitter hacked, 200 million user email addresses leaked, researcher says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Raphael Satter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Hackers stole the email addresses of more than 200 million Twitter users and posted them on an online hacking forum, a security researcher said Wednesday. It was not clear what action, if any, Twitter has taken to investigate or remediate the issue. Claims about the size and scope of the breach initially varied with early accounts in December saying 400 million email addresses and phone numbers were stolen. A major breach at Twitter may interest regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. The Data Protection Commission in Ireland, where Twitter has its European headquarters, and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission have been monitoring the Elon Musk-owned company for compliance with European data protection rules and a U.S. consent order respectively.

☆ Irish privacy regulator fines Meta more than $400 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A security guard stands watch by the Meta sign outside the headquarters of Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc in Mountain View, California, U.S. November 9, 2022. REUTERS/Peter DaSilvaDUBLIN, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Ireland's data privacy regulator fined Meta (META.O) 390 million euros ($414 million) on Wednesday for breaches at its Facebook and Instagram services and said both must reassess the legal basis on how they run advertising based on personal data in the European Union. Ireland's Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC), which is the lead privacy regulator for many of the world's largest technology companies within the EU, directed Meta to bring its data processing operations into compliance within three months. The penalties brought the total fines levied against Meta to date by the DPC to 1.3 billion euros. The DPC said that as part of its decision, the EU's privacy watchdog had purported to direct the Irish regulator to conduct a fresh investigation that would span all of Facebook and Instagram's data processing operations.

☆ EU court rejects WhatsApp challenge against EU Data Protection Board
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The Court of Justice of the European Union has dismissed as inadmissible an action brought by WhatsApp against a decision of the European Data Protection Board, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Following complaints about Whatsapp's (META.O) use of personal data in Ireland and a European Data Protection Board (EDPB) ruling on the issue, the Irish Data Protection commission in 2021 imposed corrective measures on Whatsapp and fines totalling 225 million euros. WhatsApp had challenged that decision before an Irish court and also requested that the European Court of Justice annul the EDPB's ruling, but the court ruled that Whatsapp's action was inadmissible. It added that the validity of the EDPB's decision could be challenged before a national court. Reporting by GV De Clercq, editing by Marine Strauss, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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