Meta fined a record $1.3 billion over EU user data transfers to the U.S.

Meta has been fined a record 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) by European privacy regulators over the transfer of EU user data to the U.S.

The decision links back to a case brought by Australian privacy campaigner Max Schrems who alleged that the framework for transferring EU citizen data to America did not protect Europeans from U.S. surveillance.

Several mechanisms to legally transfer personal data between the U.S. and the EU have been contested. The latest such iteration, Privacy Shield, was struck down by the European Court of Justice, the EU's top court, in 2020.

The U.S and EU last year "in principle" agreed to a new framework for cross-border data transfers. However, the new pact has not yet come into effect.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for more.