(InformingNews.com) – Meta Platform, Inc., the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, threatened to remove access to its products in Europe after a fight over privacy rules. While the move may upset many Europeans, at least two leaders say it’s no big deal.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said he wouldn’t care if Meta pulled Facebook from the country. During a February 7 press conference, Habeck explained he’s been off the platform for four years, and it’s caused no detrimental issues for him. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire backed him up, saying life would be perfectly fine without the tech giant.
Meta's veiled threat to quit Europe because of blocked talks over privacy rules was more like music to the ears of two top German and French politicians https://t.co/Wz0QPTH8yM
— Bloomberg (@business) February 7, 2022
Both men proclaimed that tech companies shouldn’t expect to flex their muscles in Europe and get anywhere. They explained the large market in the EU has the power to resist any threats companies wish to make.
Meta made its statement about pulling out of the EU after a denial to allow the company to conduct transatlantic data transfers. The new framework faced severe limits in Europe due to tighter privacy laws than in the US.
A spokesperson for the company said there are no plans to remove products from the EU, but data transfers are a large part of its operations. The company has followed all rules regarding safeguarding data and wants global guidelines for transfers in the future.
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