A recent court ruling found that some trans-Atlantic data transfers may be subject to American cybersecurity laws, putting European Facebook users at risk. Due to the difference between US cyber-surveillance laws and rulings of the same nature in Europe, Facebook may have to cease the transfer of any EU data to the US. On Wednesday, Facebook announced that Ireland’s Data Protection Commission opened an inquiry into how Facebook utilizes and transfers data from the EU to the US, and how that data is used under American laws.
Ireland reportedly gave Facebook until mid-September to respond to the preliminary order, which would suspend all data transfers for the foreseeable future. Facebook boasts data centers around the world, and the consequences of the controversy could be significant for the platform. Facebook would take the financial fall to revamp its operations to ensure that European data doesn’t reach its centers in the US.
Read More: Facebook May Have to Stop Moving EU User Data to US
