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Ireland’s Data Protection Commission Begins Inquiry Into Facebook

By  |  April 20, 2021

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced last week that it has started an inquiry into Facebook regarding a possible contravention of European privacy regulations, CNBC reported.

The Irish data protection regulator stated its inquiry is concentrated on news that a data set of 533 million users of the social media platform throughout the globe was made public through a digital hacker site. Facebook, whose European headquarters are stationed in Dublin, Ireland, stated it is “cooperating fully” with the DPC and noted that the matter “relates to features that make it easier for people to find and connect with friends on our services,” CNBC reported.

After speaking to representatives from Facebook Ireland, Ireland’s DPC stated it believes Facebook may have breached one or more laws, adding that the company may still be breaching certain provisions.

“These features are common to many apps and we look forward to explaining them and the protections we have put in place,” a Facebook spokesperson told CNBC via email.

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