Belgian privacy watchdog bid's to police Facebook at EU court on October 5
If the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union backs the Belgian authority , it could embolden national agencies in the 27-country bloc to take action against companies such as Alphabets Google, Twitter and Apple.
Under landmark EU privacy rules known as the General Data Protection Regulation and its one-stop-shop mechanism, the Irish privacy authority is the lead authority for Facebook as the companys European head office is based in Ireland.
Facebook said there are merits to EUs rules in designating a lead supervisory authority for cross-border privacy issues.
All businesses that operate across the EU who are subject to GDPR can benefit from this one-stop-shop mechanism; it allows companies of all sizes to understand their legal responsibilities and respond quickly to regulators, Jack Gilbert, Facebook associate general counsel, said in an email.
The question is whether or not the one-stop-shop mechanism under the GDPR is exhaustive or leaves some room for local DPAs such as the Belgian DPA to enforce, in particular by bringing court proceedings before a national judge, spokeswoman Aurlie Waeterinckx said.
The Irish watchdog has opened cases into Facebook, Facebook-owned Instagram and WhatsApp as well as Twitter, Apple, Verizon Media, Microsoft-owned LinkedIn and U.S.
We use cookies and analyse traffic to this site. By continuing to use this site, closing this banner, or clicking "I Agree", you agree to the use of cookies. Read our privacy poplicy for more information.