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Meta announced the service for Facebook and Instagram last month. The ad-free service cost 9.99 euros ($10.90) monthly for Web users and 12.99 euros for iOS and Android users. Contrary to this law, Meta charges a 'privacy fee' of up to 250 euros per year if anyone dares to exercise their fundamental right to data protection," NOYB data protection lawyer Felix Mikolasch said in a statement. NOYB filed the complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Authority. The complaint will likely be forwarded to the Irish data protection watchdog which oversees Meta because it has its European headquarters in Ireland.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Meta, Max Schrems, Felix Mikolasch, NOYB, Foo Yun Chee, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Meta, Facebook, EU, Austrian Data Protection, Netflix, YouTube, Google, Thomson Locations: Rights BRUSSELS, Europe, Austrian, Europe's, Vienna, Ireland, Brussels

REUTERS/Michele Tantussi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSTOCKHOLM, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Advocacy group Noyb on Thursday filed complaints against Google-owned Fitbit in Austria, the Netherlands and Italy accusing the fitness tracking company of violating the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy regime. Vienna-based Noyb (None Of Your Business), the digital rights group founded by privacy activist Max Schrems, has already filed hundreds of complaints against big tech companies ranging from Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google to Meta over privacy violations, some leading to big fines. Fitbit forces its users to consent to data transfers outside the EU and does not provide the possibility to withdraw their consent, violating GDPR's requirements, Noyb said. Fines for violating GDPR rules can reach up to 4% of a firm's global annual revenue. While GDPR allows every person to withdraw their consent, Fitbit's privacy policy states that the only way to withdraw consent is to delete an account, which means losing their previously tracked workouts and health data, Noyb said.

Persons: Michele Tantussi, Max Schrems, Noyb, Fitbit, doesn't, Bernardo Armentano, Supantha Mukherjee, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: IFA, REUTERS, Rights, Google, European, Data Protection, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Rights STOCKHOLM, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, Vienna, Stockholm

☆ Privacy group challenges Ryanair's use of facial recognition
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, July 27 (Reuters) - Digital rights group NOYB on Thursday filed a complaint against Ryanair (RYA.I), alleging that it is violating customers' rights to data protection by using facial recognition to verify their identity when booking through online travel agents. NOYB, led by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems, filed the complaint with Spain's data protection agency on behalf of a complainant who booked a Ryanair flight through the Spanish-based online travel agency eDreams ODIGEO. The low-cost carrier said the steps are required to manage the passenger's booking, online check-in and to comply with safety and security requirements. NOYB has successfully launched privacy challenges against some of the world's largest multinational companies across the European Union under the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), introduced in 2018. NOYB alleged that Ryanair's verification procedures are not valid under the GDPR because it does not provide comprehensible information about the purpose of the "intrusive process."

Persons: NOYB, Max Schrems, eDreams ODIGEO, Padraic Halpin, Louise Heavens Organizations: DUBLIN, Ryanair, Irish, European Union, Data Protection, Thomson Locations: Austrian, Spanish

☆ Europe and the U.S. finally agree a landmark data-sharing pact — and it's already under threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

CNBC runs through all you need to know about the new EU-U.S. privacy framework, why it matters, and its chances of success. What's the new EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework? Schrems said that revelations from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden about U.S. surveillance meant that American data protection standards couldn't be trusted. Instead, individual U.S. states have come up with their own respective regulations for data privacy, with California leading the charge. The approval of a new data privacy framework means that businesses will now have certainty over how they can process data across borders going forward.

Persons: Pavlo Gonchar, Max Schrems, Schrems, Edward Snowden, Cambridge Analytica, Holger Lutz, Clifford Chance, Meta Organizations: Getty, European Union, CNBC, EU, U.S, European Commission, Protection, European Court of Justice, Facebook, Irish Data Protection, Data, Meta, Google, Cambridge, General Data Locations: America, EU, Europe, U.S, California, Austrian

☆ 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

☆ EU blesses transatlantic data sharing deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Those data flows had been threatened when a previous EU-US agreement was struck down in 2020 by Europe’s top court over insufficient privacy protections for EU citizens. With the EU’s approval, the new agreement again allows businesses to transfer European data to the United States as if it were another EU member state, without requirements to implement additional privacy safeguards. Monday’s so-called “adequacy decision” by the European Commission paves the way for companies to sign up for the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which entered into force the same day. The order also provided for the creation of a new court-like body that can force US companies to delete EU citizens’ data if an investigation determines that EU citizens’ privacy rights were violated. EU citizens will be able to file individual complaints to the Data Protection Review Court.

Persons: Joe Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, ” von der Leyen, “, Max Schrems Organizations: Washington CNN, Union, Monday, Europe’s, European Commission, EU, Data Locations: United States, EU

☆ EU Commission revamps procedures to speed up Big Tech privacy probes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, July 4 (Reuters) - Stung by criticism of tardy privacy investigations and the Irish privacy regulator's outsized role in overseeing Big Tech, the European Commission on Tuesday announced new rules to help watchdogs work on cross-border cases at a faster clip. Critics say investigations take too long and fines are too low to deter privacy breaches by Big Tech companies, undermining the goal of landmark EU rules known as the General Data Protection Regulation which came into force in 2018. "The harmonisation of these procedural aspects will support the timely completion of investigations and the delivery of swift remedies for individuals," the Commission said. Privacy activist Max Schrems who has filed complaints against Meta Platforms (META.O) and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google criticised the new procedures. "The Commission proposal seems to be technically and materially flawed and rather strips citizens of existing rights than ensuring their enforcement," he said.

Persons: Max Schrems, Foo Yun Chee, Susan Fenton Organizations: Big Tech, European Commission, General Data, Irish Data Protection, Meta, Google, Tech, Computer & Communications Industry Association, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, EU, Ireland

☆ Meta loses as top EU court backs antitrust regulators over privacy breach checks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Meta Platforms on Tuesday lost its fight against a German data curb order that strikes at the heart of its business model as Europe's top court backed the German antitrust watchdog's power to also investigate privacy breaches. The ruling from the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) potentially hand antitrust authorities more leeway in Big Tech probes. At issue was whether the German antitrust agency overstepped its authority by using its antitrust power to address data protection concerns, which are the remit of national data protection authorities. Thomas Graf, a partner at law firm Cleary Gottlieb, was more cautious on whether antitrust authorities would want to go into the details of privacy law. "Are antitrust authorities going to become GDPR regulators?

Persons: Andreas Mundt, Benoit Coeure, Thomas Graf, Cleary Gottlieb, Graf, Max Schrems Organizations: Justice, European Union, Big Tech, Meta, Facebook, Data Protection Locations: Menlo Park , California, Luxembourg

☆ Ireland bolsters data watchdog's powers, privacy activists cry foul
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, June 28 (Reuters) - Ireland bolstered its powerful data regulator's ability to stop the sharing of information during its inquiries into global tech companies amid criticism from opposition parties, privacy activists and non-governmental organisations. Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) is the European Union's lead regulator of many of the world's largest technology companies due to their EU headquarters being based in Ireland, and has levied billions of euros worth of fines under the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), introduced in 2018. The DPC had sought the powers in order to ensure fair procedure, he said. "To be clear nothing in this amendment will prevent a complainant from speaking out about the nature of their data privacy complaint. The European Consumer Organisation, European Digital Rights group and Amnesty International also spoke out against the bill.

Persons: Max Schrems, James Brown, DPC, Johnny Ryan, Catherine Murphy, Padraic Halpin, Grant McCool Organizations: DUBLIN, Data Protection, Irish, of Civil Liberties, European Consumer Organisation, European Digital Rights, Amnesty International, Social Democrats, Thomson Locations: Ireland, European, Austrian

☆ 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 fined a record $1.3 billion over EU user data transfers to the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Meta has been fined a record 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) by European privacy regulators over the transfer of EU user data to the U.S. Several mechanisms to legally transfer personal data between the U.S. and the EU have been contested. The latest such iteration, Privacy Shield, was struck down by the European Court of Justice, the EU's top court, in 2020. Meta used a mechanism called standard contractual clauses to transfer personal data in and out of the EU. Ireland's Data Protection Commission also told Meta to "suspend any future transfer of personal data to the US within the period of five months" from the decision.

☆ New EU-US data pact may come too late for Facebook -regulator
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Conor Humphries | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies Facebook may face EU-U.S. data freeze by MayAction due to concerns about U.S. intelligenceNew EU-U.S data privacy deal may come laterDUBLIN, March 7 (Reuters) - A new pact to facilitate the safe transfer of EU citizens' personal data to the United States might not come into force in time to avoid a suspension of Facebook's transatlantic data flows, the U.S. firm's lead European regulator said on Tuesday. European Union regulators led by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) Helen Dixon are finalising a ban on the legal tool used by Facebook to transfer European user data because of concerns U.S. intelligence agencies could access them. In an interview, Dixon said the ban could be in place by mid-May while a new EU-U.S data protection framework that would provide an alternative basis for the transfers might take longer. It must be signed off by other European regulators by April 13, and after that, Dixon said she would have another month to issue a ruling. NEW FRAMEWORKOfficials have said the new EU-U.S. framework, which aims to offer EU citizens the same level of data protection as under European law, may be ready by summer.

☆ Meta plans to appeal $414 million fine amid row over consent for ad tracking
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta was fined $414 million by Ireland's Data Protection Commission on Wednesday. Max Schrems, who submitted the complaint, told Insider Meta will need to ask for users' consent. The company was hit with two fines on Wednesday – one for Facebook and one for Instagram – by Ireland's Data Protection Commission for violating the Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws. This refers to one of the GDPR act's six legal bases for processing users' data. The European Commission and Irish Data Protection Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

☆ Meta fined $414 million in latest European privacy crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Meta and other Big Tech companies have come under pressure from the European Union’s privacy rules, which are some of the world’s strictest. The Irish watchdog — Meta’s lead European data privacy regulator because its regional headquarters is in Dublin — fined the company 210 million euros for violations of E.U. data privacy rules involving Facebook and an additional 180 million euros for breaches involving Instagram. The decision stems from complaints filed in May 2018 when the 27-nation bloc’s privacy rules, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, took effect. privacy rules.

The Irish data protection agency, which oversees Meta because its European headquarters is located in Dublin, has been given a month to issue a ruling based on the European Data Protection Board's (EDPB) binding decision. The Irish case against Meta was triggered by a complaint by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems in 2018. The 27-country bloc's landmark privacy rules known as the General Data Protection Regulation went into effect in 2018. We have one month to adopt the EDPB's binding decisions and will publish details then," the Irish Data Protection Commission said. Meta may have to change its business model, said Helena Brown, head of data & privacy at London-based law firm Addleshaw Goddard.

REUTERS/Francois LenoirWASHINGTON/BRUSSELS, Oct 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday signed an executive order to implement a European Union-United States data transfer framework announced in March that adopts new American intelligence gathering privacy safeguards. Judges with experience in data privacy and national security will be appointed from outside the U.S. government. European privacy activists have threatened to challenge the framework if they did not think it adequately protects privacy. Austrian Max Schrems, whose legal challenges have brought down the previous two EU-U.S. data flow systems, said he still needed to analyze the package. "At first sight it seems that the core issues were not solved and it will be back to the CJEU (EU court) sooner or later," he said.

☆ Leaked documents show Google Cloud is betting big on Europe and Asia in what it sees as a $100 billion opportunity, saying if it doesn't it will 'face being left behind in half the world'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google Cloud is betting big on Europe and Asia by rolling out "trusted partner cloud," or TPC. Google sees data sovereignty as a $100 billion market, calling TPC its "most important program." Leaked internal documents that Insider viewed show that Google Cloud sees an initiative called "trusted partner cloud," or TPC, as the linchpin of this strategy. In an internal FAQ dated August 9, Google Cloud estimates that data sovereignty is a $100 billion market. The documents Insider viewed, which were dated from June, show that Google Cloud plans to launch that European cloud service in different countries through 2023 and 2024.

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