Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp could take an extreme decision in Europe.
The company explains in its annual report to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that are considering leaving the European Union if it is not allowed to process and transfer user data to the United States.
Europe requires that companies that collect user data maintain and process that data on European servers. Until 2020, Meta and its services were protected by the Privacy Shield, an agreement between the US and the European Union that allows data to be exchanged between both territories. This agreement was declared null and void in July 2020 by the Court of Justice of the European Union and legislators are working on a new version that better aligns with the new privacy laws in Europe.
According to his report, Meta would not want to continue operating in Europe if forced to dump user data outside the United States. Meta argues that this would be detrimental to many businesses in the EU that rely on the services and targeted advertisements provided by his company.
“If a new transatlantic data transfer framework is not adopted and we cannot continue to rely on SCCs or other alternative means of transferring data from Europe to the United States, we may not be able to offer some of our most important products and services. , including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.”
It is possible that these threats are only a way to pressure the European authorities, but what is clear is that Facebook is not going through its best moment. The company’s latest earnings report reflected a loss of daily active users on Facebook for the first time in its history.
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