GDPR turned five this week and celebrated in customary style: by slappingMeta with anothereye-watering fine.
At a record-breaking 1.2bn, the punishment was the perfect self-gift for the EU regulation.
ForMeta, however, it marks another miserable anniversary.
According to research byPrivacy Affairs, Mark Zuckerbergs demonic brainchild has accruedover halfof the 4bn in total GDPR fines.
But it wasnt likely to have got an invite anyway.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
The social media behemoth has been feuding with EU lawmakersfor years.
Onmultipleoccasions, the company has gone as far as threatening toshut downservices inEuropeover data rules.
TheFacebookowner is not alone in entering GDPRs crosshairs but its been by far the most consistent target.
Amazon and Googlehavecombined total fines of around 800 million a figure dwarfed by Metas most recent fine alone.
Meanwhile, Microsoft, Apple, Pinterest, and LinkedIn have never been charged.
The penalties have solidified the EUs reputation as the Weststop tech regulator.
For GDPR, thats another cause for celebration.
But for Meta, this birthday party must suck.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
