DUBLIN: A new pact to facilitate the safe transfer of EU citizens’ personal data to the United States might not come into force in time to avoid a suspension of Facebook’s transatlantic data flows, the US firm’s lead European regulator said on Tuesday.
Facebook owner Meta, which has warned a stoppage could force it to suspend Facebook services in Europe, declined to comment on the possible timing of the regulator’s decision or the new pact’s entry into force.
European Union regulators led by Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) Helen Dixon are finalizing a ban on the legal tool used by Facebook to transfer European user data because of concerns US intelligence agencies could access them.
In an interview, Dixon said the ban could be in place by mid-May while a new EU-US data protection framework that would provide an alternative basis for the transfers might take longer.
“There is certainly a chance of that. More than a chance, I would say,” said Dixon, who is lead European regulator for US technology firms, including Apple, Google and Twitter, as their regional headquarters are in Ireland.
“They could be very close in timeline or the DPC’s suspension order could come into effect in advance,” Dixon told Reuters. “Things are coming down to the wire.”
The suspension could create a precedent for other firms. It must be signed off by other European regulators by April 13, and after that, Dixon said she would have another month to issue a ruling.
A spokesperson for Meta said the company “welcomes the progress policymakers have made toward ensuring the continued transfer of data across borders and awaits the regulator’s final decision on this matter.”
NEW FRAMEWORK
Officials have said the new EU-US framework, which aims to offer EU citizens the same level of data protection as under European law, may be ready by summer. “They are still talking about July,” Dixon said.
It is expected to face legal challenge from critics who believe it is too weak. Two previous US-EU pacts, Safe Harbor and Privacy Shield, were struck down by the European Union’s top court.
Dixon said she and her fellow regulators were positive about the new deal and that the European Commission was confident it would survive court challenge.
Critics, such as privacy campaigner Max Schrems have accused Dixon and her office of being under-resourced and too soft, a charge she rejected.
“We are really hitting our stride, working at pace,” said Dixon, whose office issued over 1 billion euros in fines last year — around two-thirds of the fines issues in the EU and Britain combined last year.
It is working on 22 large-scale international cases including against Google, Meta and Tik Tok, after concluding 17 cases last year, she said.
It plans to increase its staffing to around 250 this year from 200 last year and 27 when Dixon joined in 2014.
New EU-US data pact may come too late for Facebook
https://arab.news/cczj7
New EU-US data pact may come too late for Facebook
- Meta warned of a possible suspension of service if timeline not respected
- EU-US framework aims to offer EU citizens the same level of data protection as under European law
BBC slammed for ‘shameful’ cut to ‘free Palestine’ comment at BAFTA Awards
- Broadcaster removes from broadcast part of filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr.’s acceptance speech at the British Academy Film Awards
- Amnesty UK praises filmmaker for speaking up for those ‘facing and fleeing from persecution and mass atrocities’
LONDON: The BBC was accused on Monday of a “shameful” decision after it cut part of an acceptance speech at the previous night’s British Academy Film Awards in which a filmmaker uttered the phrase “free Palestine.”
British-Nigerian director and co-writer Akinola Davies Jr. and his brother, co-writer Wale Davies were collecting the award for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer for their film “My Father’s Shadow” when the former made the comment.
The BBC chose not to include the final part of his speech when it broadcast the BAFTAs ceremony later in the evening. However, the corporation did broadcast an inadvertent racist slur shouted by a person with Tourette syndrome while Black actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award.
Akinola thanked industry figures and family for their support as he accepted the award, before dedicating it to “all those whose parents migrated to obtain a better life for their children.”
In the final part of his speech, cut by the BBC, he said: “To the economic migrant, the conflict migrant, those under occupation, dictatorship, persecution and those experiencing genocide, you matter and your stories matter more than ever.
“Your dreams are an act of resistance. To those watching at home, archive your loved ones, archive your stories yesterday, today and forever. For Nigeria, for London, Congo, Sudan, free Palestine. Thank you.”
The BBC, which broadcast the ceremony with a two-hour time delay, said the cut was made for timing reasons.
A spokesperson told Deadline: “The live event is three hours, and it has to be reduced to two hours for its on-air slot. The same happened to other speeches made during the night, and all edits were made to ensure the program was delivered to time. All winners’ speeches will be available to watch via BAFTA’s YouTube Channel.”
Human rights campaign group Amnesty UK described the decision by the BBC to cut part of the speech as “shameful.”
It added: “Thank you Akinola Davies Jr. for using your platform to speak out for the rights of migrants and people facing and fleeing from persecution and mass atrocities, from the Congo to Sudan to Palestine.”
In June last year, the BBC was at the center of a row after it broadcast a Glastonbury Festival performance by the duo Bob Vylan, during which the lead singer chanted “death to the IDF” in protest against the Israeli Defense Forces’ assault on Gaza.
