After the recent controversy of the social network about privacy, now Facebook and Instagram confirm that it will not close in Europe , as they have no plans or desire to do so. Meta, the parent company of both services, has had to clarify this point due to the interpretation given to a recent report for investors.
Meta’s report for the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) mentions that it will probably not be able to continue providing its most important services if a new regulation is not approved to transfer data of citizens of the European Union to its servers in United States.
Perhaps the affirmation of the report is exaggerated, and it is very possible that it sought to pressure the negotiation of the new norms , but the social and political reaction has been much greater than expected.
Many media have considered that we were facing a “threat” to close Facebook in Europe. As if that were not enough, Robert Habeck and Bruno Le Maire, ministers of the German and French governments respectively, have downplayed the fact that Meta could stop providing services in the EU.
The fine of the European Union to WhatsApp at the end of 2021 made it clear that the community block is going to be demanding with respect to the protection of citizens’ data , especially by the great American technology companies.
The root of the problem is that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is much tougher than the regulations that Facebook and Instagram have in their country of origin.
The special agreements between the EU and the US were annulled by the European courts in 2015 and 2021 , so now a new framework for transporting the data is being negotiated, in the hope that it will be more stable.
Meta claims that it does not pose a “threat” of closing in Europe, but that it needs clear regulation for its work , and that there are more than 70 companies that are closely following the negotiation. In addition, remember that the agreement canceled in 2021 was used by more than 5,000 companies to transfer information between countries.
Of course, it’s highly unlikely that Facebook and Instagram will go out of business in Europe , but an unfavorable deal would limit Meta’s ad business. For now, the social network wants to put aside this controversy, which has cost it a stock market crash and new friction with European politicians.
