Meta, the parent company of Facebook, said earlier this year it might shut down its services in Europe if the governments didn’t resolve their differences. Google’s top lawyer had urged “quick action to restore a practical framework that both protects privacy and promotes prosperity.”
The Friday announcement is the latest development in a lengthy debate about how far governments and tech companies should go to protect users’ privacy. Europe’s top court twice struck down pacts governing trans-Atlantic data flows between the United States and the European Union over concerns that the data would be exposed to American surveillance programs.
“With concern growing about the global internet fragmenting, this agreement will help keep people connected and services running,” Nick Clegg, the president of global affairs at Meta, wrote on Twitter. “It will provide invaluable certainty for American and European companies of all sizes, including Meta, who rely on transferring data quickly and safely.”
But it was unclear if the new pact would be enough to satisfy the concerns of privacy campaigners. Max Schrems, an activist whose group Noyb (as in: “none of your business”) has led efforts to invalidate the trans-Atlantic agreements, said in a statement he was skeptical of the deal and that his organization would carefully analyze the details.
“If it is not in line with E.U. law, we or another group will likely challenge it,” he said.