€1.2bn Fine on Meta for Users’ Data Mishandling

Have you read or heard that European Union has issued a fine of €1.2bn on Facebook’s owner Meta.

What is the fine for?

Mishandling people’s data when transferring it between Europe and the United States.

It is the largest fine imposed on Meta under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation privacy law.

Do You Think that Users’ Data is Protected?

This case like other cases shows that our data as users is not safe anywhere. It can be mishandled or leak.

We only got to know about the data leak or mishandling when it is a major one or a big company is involved.

Can You Trust a Person Handling Users’ Data?

What about your data with smaller companies, government offices, clinics, hospitals, malls, shops, etc?

Let’s assume that there is a small company and there are 100 persons handling the user data. They are bound by their duty and company rules to not leak the data.

99 out of 100 persons in that company follow the rules and take care of data privacy. What if that 1 person doesn’t care about rules and leak the data?

Just 1 person is enough to leak users’ data and sell for some money. It could be selling the same data once, twice, or multiple times to multiple sources.

Greed and dishonesty is everywhere and we can just only pray that our data is in safe hands.

Such places where users’ data is being handled should educate their employees about data security best practices, the importance of handling sensitive data responsibly, and the risks associated with data leaks.

Training programs can cover topics such as phishing awareness, secure coding practices, and incident response protocols.

What About Security Breaches?

Hackers and such other entities are targeting companies and offices where users’ data is. Daily, many cyber attacks are happening.

So, implementation of a robust security infrastructure is a must.

Strong security infrastructure that includes using encryption, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and other advanced security measures to protect data at rest and in transit.

Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify and address any weaknesses.

There is a need for more regulations, laws and strict punishments to deter people to leak sensitive data. And saving many people from frauds, financial losses, reputation damage or emotional pain.

To know more about the Meta fine case, read it here.