Meta now officially regulates itself
15 hours ago
- #Big Tech
- #Regulation
- #Data Protection
- Niamh Sweeney, a former Meta lobbyist, is set to join the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) as a commissioner in October.
- The DPC, the EU's lead privacy regulator for US Big Tech, has been criticized for being pro-business and not enforcing GDPR effectively.
- Sweeney spent over 6 years at Meta, including roles as head of public policy at Facebook Ireland and director of public policy for Europe at WhatsApp.
- The Irish government's appointment of a former Big Tech lobbyist to the DPC signals a lack of commitment to enforcing EU privacy laws.
- The DPC has historically issued large fines against US Big Tech but collected only 0.6% of them, creating a false impression of enforcement.
- Max Schrems criticizes the DPC for secretly undermining EU law and now openly appointing a Big Tech lobbyist to regulate the industry.
- Sweeney's appointment comes as Meta faces appeals over significant fines related to privacy violations, including the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
- Ireland's move aligns with a broader US trend where Big Tech demands public allegiance from governments, marking a shift from covert to overt support.
- The appointment reveals the Irish government's open alignment with US Big Tech, ending decades of denials about being too close to the industry.