Meta trying to pressure Europe?

Last week, Meta wrote that it would not be able to offer certain "products and services", including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe" unless legally secure ways were found to transfer personal data from Europe to the US. Meta has since denied that this statement was in fact a threat to leave Europe. Commentators are not too worried anyway.

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Webcafé (BG) /

We're better off without Facebook

It wouldn't be so terrible if Mark Zuckerberg made good on his threats to leave the EU, Webcafé says:

Conspiracy theories about microchips in vaccines, paedophiles and cannibals in the White House, and reptiles in Buckingham Palace will return to where they came from - the small and unknown Internet forums that no one bothers with. And we'll also be able to forget about the people who believe the earth is flat. And that is not to be underestimated!”

Avgi (GR) /

Beleaguered giant using its clout

Analyst Charis Papaevangelou writes in Avgi:

“Meta's threat to leave the EU is a ploy aimed at pressuring policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic - and especially the US since European authorities seem intransigent - to quickly draw up and implement a new legal framework for data transfers. Incidentally, in its current existential crisis the company would not survive the blow of shutting down its services in the EU. But this threat also speaks volumes about power of the big digital companies. ... Its departure would mean the loss of thousands of jobs in the EU, especially in Ireland.”

24 Chasa (BG) /

Meta should not mess with governments

Mark Zuckerberg still believes he can use his market power as he pleases, but he should know better by now, 24 Chasa comments:

“Exactly one year ago, Facebook blocked the publication of journalistic content in Australia because of a new law that required it to pay publishers for the distribution of this content. A week later, Facebook backed down and started paying, but it didn't make any friends with that episode.”