# Facebook fined €1.2 billion

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-fined-1-2-billion/984952>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 3, 2023, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-fined-1-2-billion/984952 "2023-06-03T09:42:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-fined-1-2-billion/984952/1 "2023-06-03T09:42:57Z")

</div>

I’ve just received a message from Facebook in relation to an account of mine that I haven’t used in 10 years or more. The message announces a forthcoming change that will allow users to have a say in how their data are used. Intrigued, I had a look online and saw that Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc., was fined **€1.2 billion** (with a b) in late May for violation of European data-protection laws and will have to stop transferring user data from the EU to the US by the end of October.

Looks like a big deal. Until now, the highest analogous fine was **€746 million** imposed on Amazon in 2021.

More information from [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/24/irish-data-regulator-defends-1point3-billion-meta-fine.html) and [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/may/22/facebook-fined-mishandling-user-information-ireland-eu-meta#:~:text=The%20fine%20%E2%80%93%20equivalent%20to%20%241.3,five%20months%20to%20implement%20it.).
