Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg threatens shut down site and Instagram app in Europe
Popular social media apps including Facebook and Instagram could be banned in the UK and Europe.
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has threatened to pull the plug on “core services” from the region following a dispute over data protection laws with Europe.
Meta has issued a warning saying that it could shut down the apps if Europe doesn’t let it perform “transatlantic data transfers”, writes The Daily Star.
This means transferring people’s private data from secure servers in Europe, where they are heavily regulated, to the US.
In an annual report to a US government agency, Meta said that the company will “probably” have to stop offering its “most significant products and services” if a new framework is not adopted.
While Meta claims that sharing data between countries and regions is critical to providing its services, the European Court of Justice has prevented it from doing so since July 2020. This is largely to protect users across Europe from having their data shared or sold without their knowledge.
Although Meta hid the warning in its report, a spokesperson told City AM: “We have absolutely no desire and no plans to withdraw from Europe, but the simple reality is that Meta, and many other businesses, organisations and services, rely on data transfers between the EU and the US in order to operate global services.
They added: “Fundamentally, businesses need clear, global rules to protect transatlantic data flows over the long term, and like more than 70 other companies across a wide range of industries, we are closely monitoring the potential impact on our European operations as these developments progress.”
Facebook’s business model relies almost entirely on advertising, which takes users’ personal data to market and sell products to them.
The tech giant has come under fire over the years for how its algorithms target content to users under this model though, and has faced accusations of allowing misinformation to spread.
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Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg threatens shut down site and Instagram app in Europe
Balita Ngayon Philippines
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