The EU’s Laughable Attempt to Rein in Tech Giants: A List of Pathetic Fines
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was supposed to be a bold move to reign in the tech giants that dominate our online lives. But, as it turns out, the regulation is little more than a toothless tiger. The EU’s data protection authorities have been issuing fines to the biggest tech companies, but the amounts are laughable and barely scratch the surface of the companies’ vast profits.
The Biggest Offenders
- Meta (Facebook): Fined a whopping €1.2 billion for transferring user data out of the EU without proper consent. Chump change for a company that rakes in billions in ad revenue every quarter.
- Amazon: Fined €746 million for misusing customer data for ad targeting. A paltry sum considering Amazon’s dominance in e-commerce and cloud computing.
- Meta (Instagram): Fined €405 million for failing to protect minors’ data. A drop in the bucket for a company that makes billions from targeted ads.
- Meta (Facebook and Instagram): Fined a total of €390 million for failing to have a valid legal basis to process user data. A joke considering the company’s vast resources and influence.
The Also-Rans
- ByteDance (TikTok): Fined €345 million for failings in handling minors’ data. A tiny fraction of the company’s global revenue.
- Meta (Facebook and Instagram): Fined €265 million for breaches of data protection by default and design. A small price to pay for a company that has a stranglehold on social media.
- Meta (WhatsApp): Fined €225 million for breaking GDPR transparency obligations. A mere fraction of the company’s daily revenue.
- Alphabet/Google (Android): Fined €50 million for transparency and consent failings. A tiny sum considering the company’s massive market share and global influence.
- Meta (Facebook): Fined €17 million for a string of security breaches. A paltry sum for a company that has been accused of compromising user privacy.
- ByteDance (TikTok): Fined around €14.8 million for failings in handling minors’ data. A tiny fraction of the company’s global revenue.
The Also-Ran Also-Rans
- Criteo: Fined €40 million for GDPR breaches. A small price to pay for an adtech giant that makes billions from targeted ads.
- Clearview AI: Fined the maximum possible (€20 million) three times in 2022 for unlawful data processing. A drop in the bucket for a company that has made millions from its facial-recognition AI tool.
The EU’s attempts to rein in the tech giants are nothing short of pathetic. The fines are tiny compared to the companies’ vast profits, and the regulators seem powerless to stop them from continuing to exploit our personal data. It’s time for a more robust approach to data protection – one that actually holds these companies accountable for their actions.
