Tag: EU

Meta fined €1.2 billion by EU over European data transfer

Meta, the parent company of Facebook has been fined a record whopping €1.2 billion by the Irish regulator for breaching EU data protection rules. The Irish Data Protection recently announced that Meta has violated General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by moving data between Europe and the US. Regulators added that Meta failed to protect European users from having their data used under US law.

Meta fined record €1.2 billion

 

Meta will now be fined €1.2 billion and also be required to delete the Facebook data or move it back to Europe. This fine is the most EU has levied upon any company under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulations. The previous record was held by Amazon. The Jeff Bezos-owned company was fined a hefty €746 million by regulators in Luxembourg. However, the four biggest fines after Amazon have been paid by Meta itself as a part of issues revolving around Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Meta has issued a statement calling the fine ‘unjustified and unnecessary’ adding that it will appeal the ruling. It also stated that there will be immediate disruption to the way Facebook operates. The company has been vocal about how the new limits on data transfer to the US could cause the company to shut down operations in the EU. This could lead to Facebook and Instagram shutting down in Europe entirely.

Meta’s president of global affairs Nick Clegg and chief legal officer Jennifer Newstead said in a statement that the company feels disappointed to have been singled out. The ruling was called unjustified and a dangerous precedent for countless other companies. This marks the third fine imposed on Meta so far just this year in the EU and its fourth in six months. With Meta always being in the news in recent times over company-wide layoffs and budget cuts, the big fine only puts the company down furthermore.

EU wants replaceable batteries on smartphones

Do you remember the time when you’d drop your phone and it would break open with the back panel and battery scattering like lego pieces? If you’re old enough, you’ll surely recall a time when cell phones were not the sealed metal and glass slabs they are today. They could be easily opened up and the SIM slots were actually inside as opposed to the SIM trays we have now. But most importantly, the battery of the smartphone devices could easily be swapped out for a new one. A battery replacement for newer smartphones is actually a task as wanting slimmer and water-resistant devices has made sealed phones a norm. However, it looks like the high of forcing global tech giants to shift the USB Type-C via a mandate has made the EU confident about having removable batteries in the future.

EU rules on replaceable batteries

The EU recently made USB-C mandatory on smartphones sold in the EU specifically. This move was later reported to be followed by a number of other countries. While the Type-C mandate will go into effect in 2024, the EU is now targeting batteries citing similar sustainability and e-waste control reasons. EU not just wants smartphones to feature easily replaceable batteries but is pushing for the entire life cycle of batteries to be changed. EU states that at least 16% of cobalt, 85% of lead and 6% of lithium contained in a battery should be obtained from recycled sources.

While it is impossible to implement a drastic change like this overnight, the EU has given companies 3.5 years after the legislation is passed to redesign batteries that users can easily remove and replace themselves. In today’s scenario, when a mobile user experiences their battery dying out quickly, replacing them becomes a hassle. Users have to pay exorbitant prices for a battery swap if their device is no longer under warranty which pushes them to buy a new device. Thus, adding on e-waste. It will be interesting to see how tech giants like Apple, Google, and Samsung respond to this change by the EU.

Exit mobile version