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Love App-tually Tech Life Social Good Entertainment Deals Search Cancel * -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Love App-tually Tech Apps & Software Cybersecurity Mobile Smart Home Social Media Space Tech Industry Transportation All Tech Life Digital Culture Family & Parenting Health & Wellness Sex, Dating & Relationships All Life Social Good Activism Climate Change Gender LGBTQ Mental Health Racial Justice Sustainability All Social Good Entertainment Games Movies Podcasts TV Shows All Entertainment Goods & Services Courses House & Home Online Dating Software Mashable Shop All Goods & Services Reviews Newsletters Videos Tech Industry Privacy AMERICANS, GET JEALOUS: META THREATENS TO SHUT DOWN FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM IN EUROPE OK, do the U.S. now! By Rachel Kraus on February 6, 2022 0 seconds of 1 secondVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Seek %0-9 Settings OffEnglish Font Color White Font Opacity 100% Font Size 100% Font Family Arial Character Edge None Background Color Black Background Opacity 50% Window Color Black Window Opacity 0% Reset WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%25% 200%175%150%125%100%75%50% ArialCourierGeorgiaImpactLucida ConsoleTahomaTimes New RomanTrebuchet MSVerdana NoneRaisedDepressedUniformDrop Shadow WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% facebook twitter Email Linkhttps://mashable.com/article/meta-threatens-european-facebook-instagram-shutdown?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds&utm_campaign=Tuesday%20Email&utm_content=Final&utm_term=4ABCD&jwsource=cl Copied Embed<iframe src="//cdn.jwplayer.com/players/MEDIAID-dloDxAmE.html" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto"></iframe> Copied Auto360p (942 kbps)1080p (5921 kbps)720p (3042 kbps)480p (1379 kbps)360p (1073 kbps)360p (942 kbps) Live 00:02 03:05 03:07 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Tech > Tech Industry Man do Europeans have it good. Buried in Meta's dense annual report for the Securities and Exchange Commission, filed Thursday, is a surprisingly stark sentence laying out a scenario in which The Company Formerly Known as Facebook might have to entirely stop operating Instagram and Facebook in Europe. Yep, no Instagram, no Facebook, for all Europeans. To which we as Americans can only say: Luckyyyyyyyyyy!!!! At issue are European data regulations that prevent Meta from ingesting Europeans' data on American servers. Basically, Meta says the ability to process user data in between countries is crucial for its business both operationally and for ad targeting. European laws meant to protect user privacy by keeping users' data within the EU's jurisdiction have invalidated previous systems. So, because the EU and the U.S. have been unable to reach new data sharing agreements, Meta said it might have to walk away from the continent with Facebook and Instagram. " If we are unable to transfer data between and among countries and regions in which we operate, or if we are restricted from sharing data among our products and services, it could affect our ability to provide our services, the manner in which we provide our services or our ability to target ads," the statement reads. Then, Meta clarifies that it thinks it will be able to reach new agreements in 2022, but if it does not, "we will likely be unable to offer a number of our most significant products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe." The London financial newspaper CityAM reached out to Meta to see if they were, uh, reading that right. Meta responded with a statement from the company's illustrious VP of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, who attempted to connect the plight of a billion-dollar international conglomerate Meta with struggles small businesses could face. "We urge regulators to adopt a proportionate and pragmatic approach to minimise disruption to the many thousands of businesses who, like Facebook, have been relying on these mechanisms in good faith to transfer data in a safe and secure way,” Clegg told CityAm. SEE ALSO: Why Zuckerberg DGAF about losing Facebook users Frankly not being able to access Facebook or Instagram — just poof, gone — sounds like a dream. But, for better or worse, many businesses rely on Facebook and Instagram ads to connect with customers and sell their products. Because of the impact the platforms' removal would have on European businesses, a continent without these main social media players is probably unlikely. An SEC annual statement's job is to lay out the challenges and opportunities in a company's financial outlook — but it's also a convenient way to send a message. 360p 720p HD 1080p HD Auto (360p) About Connatix V149146 Closed Captions About Connatix V149146 1/1 SkipAd Continue watching after the ad Visit Advertiser websiteGO TO PAGE A video that recaps important historical events that took place on that day. This dynamic video will be automatically updated every day.Tweet ShareA video that recaps important historical events that took place on that day. This dynamic video will be automatically updated every day. THIS DAY IN HISTORY Paid Content by Connatix So for European lawmakers, the scenario seems like a threat. But for us regular folks wishing there was something that could untether us from mindless scrolling? C'mon, Meta, make that threat a promise. UPDATE: Feb. 7, 2022, 12:00 p.m. PST Meta refutes the characterization of its disclosure as a "threat," and wrote in an email to Mashable that making the SEC aware of the scenario was not an indication of future business plans. Meta has included similar guidance in past filings. “We have absolutely no desire and no plans to withdraw from Europe, but the simple reality is that Meta, and many other businesses, organisations and services, rely on data transfers between the EU and the US in order to operate global services," Dina El-Kassaby, Meta Policy Communications Manager, said over email. "Like other companies, we have followed European rules and rely on Standard Contractual Clauses, and appropriate data safeguards, to operate a global service. Fundamentally, businesses need clear, global rules to protect transatlantic data flows over the long term, and like more than 70 other companies across a wide range of industries, we are closely monitoring the potential impact on our European operations as these developments progress.” Additionally, a previous version of this article stated that Meta had not reached data sharing agreements. These agreements are brokered between countries, not businesses, so Mashable has clarified in this article that the EU and the U.S. have not reached this agreement. More in Privacy, Meta -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECOMMENDED FOR YOU Facebook and Instagram are jumping on the NFT bandwagon, report claims Oh, great. 01/20/2022 By Stan Schroeder -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Facebook records a drop in daily users for the first time ever The biggest and most scandalous social network is bleeding users. 02/02/2022 By Alex Perry -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Over 100 apps that sold location data to sketchy data broker revealed Your love life and spirituality are monetizable data 02/02/2022 By Jon Keegan and Alfred Ng -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anti-vaxxers are funding their movement with Instagram Stories and link stickers It's an easy way to disseminate prohibited content and evade bans. 01/27/2022 By Matt Binder -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australia's new online safety laws could force social platforms to take down abusive posts The government is trying to step in where social media moderation fails. 01/24/2022 By Amanda Yeo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MORE IN TECH Married NYC couple charged with laundering billions in stolen crypto 'Til arrest do us part. 1 hour ago By Jack Morse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SpaceX's Starlink to provide internet access to Tonga The country is still reeling from a volcanic eruption. 21 hours ago By Michael Kan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IRS backtracks on sketchy facial recognition plan following public outcry Paying taxes is bad enough without submitting to a degrading face scan. 23 hours ago By Jack Morse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peloton would be so much better if it let you stream stuff like Netflix and Stadia Apple doesn't exactly have the market cornered on overly restrictive walled gardens. 02/05/2022 By Adam Rosenberg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meta has a fix for virtual groping in its social VR space, Horizon Worlds The actual boundary will be invisible. 02/05/2022 By Anna Iovine -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRENDING ON MASHABLE You can now play the entire archive of past 'Wordle' puzzles Time to go back and redo days that stumped you. 02/05/2022 By Anna Iovine -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 actually fun websites to learn something new We've got the sites for you to improve your skills. 02/02/2022 By Tim Marcin -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the 2022 Oscar Nominations Who made the cut, and who got snubbed? 4 hours ago By Belen Edwards -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave Grohl's favorite drummer Nandi Bushell takes us to space with Rush's 'Tom Sawyer' *Our* eyes are wide, that's for sure. 02/06/2022 By Adam Rosenberg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peloton gives 2,800 laid off employees a free 1-year subscription What a bizarre severance package. 30 minutes ago By Christianna Silva The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox. 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