Meta insisted they ‘take time given the complexity of the issues discussed and the need to strike a balance between privacy and national security’
Amid negotiations between regulators in the US and Europe, Mark Zuckerberg has once again threatened to pull Facebook and Instagram from Europe.
European regulators have been embroiled with their US counterparts for months, with the former wanting to replace the transatlantic data transfer pact. The original pact, which thousands of businesses relied on, was collapsed by the EU Court of Justice in 2020 over data safety fears.
In its annual report published last week, in which the company also reported a monumental loss, Meta said that without an agreement, they would “likely be unable to offer a number of our most significant products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe.”
Last year, Meta warned if it is not allowed to use standard contractual clauses, it would be “unable to operate” in Europe.
In an email statement obtained by Bloomberg, a Meta spokesperson wrote: “We have absolutely no desire and no plans to withdraw from Europe, but the simple reality is that Meta, and many other businesses, organizations and services, rely on data transfers between the EU and the US in order to operate global services.”
The European Commission said data transfer negotiations with Washington have picked up but insisted they “take time given the complexity of the issues discussed and the need to strike a balance between privacy and national security.”
They added: “Only an arrangement that is fully compliant with the requirements set by the EU court can deliver the stability and legal certainty stakeholders expect on both sides of the Atlantic.”
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