Facebook, Schrems case cost Irish data watchdog €2m – reports

The Irish Data Protection Commissioner has forked out almost €2m in the long legal battle involving Facebook and privacy activist Max Schrems, according to reports. The battle began in 2013 when Schrems brought a complaint against Facebook’s mass data slurping to the commissioner in Ireland, where the company’s European HQ is …

[John G Imrie]

“In essence, if you don’t have a couple of million, you’re out of luck.”

Another good reason to move the company HQ to Éire.

Yours,

The Management.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: “In essence, if you don’t have a couple of million, you’re out of luck.”

Add in those lovely lovely tax breaks and you're onto a winner.

[Gene Cash]

Re: “In essence, if you don’t have a couple of million, you’re out of luck.”

This is pretty much the case everywhere. I know in the US you've either got to hire shady ambulance-chasers, or you've got to stump up serious dosh to get any sort of legal action going.

And if you get sued, it's worse since you're usually not budgeting for that sort of thing, so most people just settle, no matter how firm their legal case might be.

And Schrems himself has started an organization to fund this sort of thing

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/11/29/schrems_launches_privacy_enforcement_ngo_pulls_in_nearly_60k_in_first_24_hours/

[Mage]

Re: “In essence, if you don’t have a couple of million, you’re out of luck.”

Apple moved from Ireland to Jersey.

Eircom is branded Eir, but has moved "HQ" to Jersey.

There are good laws in Ireland, but rubbish to non-existent enforcement. The problem is ultimately not in Ireland but in USA (lets Corporations do what they like to public) and UK (City of London one of biggest Money Launderers and UK territories outside GB & NI are among the most popular Tax or Gambling company havens. IOM, Channel Is. Gibraltar, Bahamas and others that part of the world.)

[Barry Mahon]

Re: “In essence, if you don’t have a couple of million, you’re out of luck.”

Just a point of clarification, eir is now French owned, not sure if that means the HQ will stay in Jersey. However, latest info is that it might be "owned" by a new (legal?) setup, who's directors are lawyers in Dublin.....in a structure designed by the mix of holding companies who seem to have bought eir.

Probably means it cannot be sued at all.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Its really Schrems versus 'Irish-DPC + Facebook'

The Irish DPC is a puppet. Its a mere buffer between users and a cabal of special interests that includes US corporations cozy with Irish politicians...

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https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/independence-of-data-protection-commissioner-questioned-1.2513682

http://www.thejournal.ie/data-protection-commissioner-new-office-1488473-May2014/

https://qz.com/162791/how-a-bureaucrat-in-a-struggling-country-at-the-edge-of-europe-found-himself-safeguarding-the-worlds-data/

https://qz.com/993995/how-facebooks-fb-sheryl-sandberg-personally-lobbied-irish-prime-minister-enda-kenny-as-shown-by-2014-emails-published-in-the-irish-independent/

[Anonymous Coward]

Hasn't Ireland 13 billions more than planned?

So a couple of millions don't really look a big sum...

[Adam 52]

Bargain

Bargain for Ireland really. €28 million in profit for just one year and all that accumulated revenue from earlier years.

Always nice as a company to have regulators you can rely on to back you up, and a drop in the ocean to Facebook.