New Regulations Aim to Improve Enforcement and Accountability

The EU will tackle Big Tech’s privacy violations, but slow progress and mild penalties result from relying on member state enforcement of GDPR. The European Commission now plans for EU nations to conduct large investigations every 2-3 months and will hold them accountable for delays or failure to enforce the law, potentially resulting in a case in the European Court of Justice. This tougher stance follows the EU’s recommendation for closer monitoring of Big Tech cases under Irish Data Protection Commission jurisdiction. The EU’s recent request to increase Meta’s fine from 28 million to 390 million euro reinforces this. The new rules could make Big Tech companies like Meta, Amazon, and Google more cautious of European privacy laws.

Opinion: This is a right move in my opinion. By holding member states accountable and taking a tougher stance on privacy violations, the EU is showing its commitment to protecting its citizens’ privacy rights and ensuring that Big Tech companies follow the rules. The increased fines and regular investigations will likely make companies take European privacy laws more seriously, which is a positive step for the protection of personal data.