According to Facebook's top European regulator, a new agreement to allow the secure transfer of EU individuals' personal data to the US may not go into effect in time to prevent a suspension of Facebook's transatlantic data flows.
When asked about the potential timeliness of the regulator's decision or the new agreement's implementation, Facebook owner Meta (META.O), which has previously warned that a standstill may compel it to discontinue Facebook services in Europe, declined to comment.
Because of worries that U.S. intelligence agencies may obtain the user data, European Union authorities, ledby Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), Helen Dixon, are finalizing a ban on the legal mechanism used by Facebook to transfer European user data.
While a new EU-US data protection framework that would offer an alternative foundation for the transfers would take longer, Dixon stated in an interview that the restriction might be in place by mid-May.
"There is definitely a possibility of it." I'd say more than a chance. Dixon, the chief European regulator for US technology companies with regional offices in Ireland, including Apple (AAPL.O), Google (GOOGL.O), and Twitter (TWTR.MX), agreed.
The DPC's suspension order "may come into effect in advance" or it "might be very near in timetable," Dixon told Reuters. It's getting close to the end of everything.
The suspension may set a standard for other businesses. On April 13, other European authorities must approve it; Dixon said she will then have another month to make a decision.
The firm "welcomes the efforts policymakers have made towards securing the continuous transmission of data across borders and awaits the regulator's ultimate conclusion on this topic," a representative for Meta said.
MODERN FRAMEWORK
The new EU-U.S. framework, which aspires to provide EU residents with the same degree of data protection as provided by European law, may be completed by summer, according to officials. "They're still talking about July," Dixon observed.
It is anticipated that those who feel it is too weak will file a legal challenge. The European Union's top court invalidated the Safe Harbor and Privacy Shield agreements, two earlier U.S.-EU agreements.
Dixon stated that the European Commission was certain the new agreement would withstand legal challenges and that she and her fellow regulators were optimistic about it.
Max Schrems, a privacy activist, was one of Dixon's critics, saying that her office lacked resources and was too lenient. She refuted this claim.
"We are really finding our stride and operating at pace," said Dixon, whose agency handed out over 1 billion euros in fines in 2017—roughly two-thirds of the fines handed out in the EU and UK combined.
After finishing 17 cases last year, it is currently working on 22 significant international lawsuits, including ones against Google, Meta, and Tik Tok, she added.
It intends to hire more people this year, up from 27 when Dixon started in 2014 and 200 last year.
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