World News Headlines February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling 0 Americans, get jealous: Meta threatens to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe 0 0000 0 0 more Americans, get jealous: Meta threatens to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling now playing Transferring money from UAE abroad: what are my cheapest options February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling WIN With Nespresso This Mother’s Day February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling NBA Playoffs 2022: A Casual Fan's Guide to the Postseason February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling Best New Climbing Gear of 2022 February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling A Local Weekend Travel Guide to Austin, Texas February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling First Drive: 2022 Range Rover Ups the Luxury SUV Experience February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling Most Stylish Rain Jackets, Parkas, and Trench Coats for Men February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling EU eyes Russian oil import ban as Moscow strikes western Ukraine February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling World-class Clark Int’l Airport opens new 110,000 square-meter passenger terminal February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling PCG: Bodies of 5 children who drowned in Taal Lake found February 7, 2022 Under One Ceiling Americans, get jealous: Meta threatens to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe Man do Europeans have it good. Buried in Meta’s dense annual report for the Securities and Exchange Commission, filed Thursday, is a surprisingly stark sentence laying out a scenario in which The Company Formerly Known as Facebook might have to entirely stop operating Instagram and Facebook in Europe. Yep, no Instagram, no Facebook, for all Europeans. To which we as Americans can only say: Luckyyyyyyyyyy!!!! At issue are European data regulations that prevent Meta from ingesting Europeans’ data on American servers. Basically, Meta says the ability to process user data in between countries is crucial for its business both operationally and for ad targeting. European laws meant to protect user privacy by keeping users’ data within the EU’s jurisdiction have invalidated previous systems. So, because Meta has been unable to reach new data sharing agreements, it’s threatening to walk away from the continent with Facebook and Instagram. “If we are unable to transfer data between and among countries and regions in which we operate, or if we are restricted from sharing data among our products and services, it could affect our ability to provide our services, the manner in which we provide our services or our ability to target ads,” the statement reads. Then, Meta clarifies that it thinks it will be able to reach new agreements in 2022, but if it does not, “we will likely be unable to offer a number of our most significant products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe.” The London financial newspaper CityAM reached out to Meta to see if they were, uh, reading that right. Meta responded with a statement from the company’s illustrious VP of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, who attempted to connect the plight of a billion-dollar international conglomerate Meta with struggles small businesses could face. “We urge regulators to adopt a proportionate and pragmatic approach to minimise disruption to the many thousands of businesses who, like Facebook, have been relying on these mechanisms in good faith to transfer data in a safe and secure way,” Clegg told CityAm. SEE ALSO: Why Zuckerberg DGAF about losing Facebook users Frankly not being able to access Facebook or Instagram — just poof, gone — sounds like a dream. But, for better or worse, many businesses rely on Facebook and Instagram ads to connect with customers and sell their products. Because of the impact the platforms’ removal would have on European businesses, a continent without these main social media players is probably unlikely. An SEC annual statement’s job is to lay out the challenges and opportunities in a company’s financial outlook — but it’s also a convenient way to send a message. So for European lawmakers, the scenario seems like a threat. But for us regular folks wishing there was something that could untether us from mindless scrolling? C’mon, Meta, make that threat a promise. Related Related posts: China blackmailing dissenters in US to return home – FBI chief tags: RSS Feed World News 0000 0 0 previous Bill Murray, 'Caddyshack' icon, sinks effortlessly epic no-look putt in a viral golf clip you've gotta see next All Nosepass point north and 10 other cool 'Pokémon Legends: Arceus' details
