美国国家公共电台 NPR--Meta has been fined $1.3 billion in the EU for breaching privacy standards

Meta has been fined $1.3 billion in the EU for breaching¹ privacy standards

Transcript²

Tech giant Meta has been ordered to pay a nearly $1.3 billion dollar privacy fine in the European Union

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Tech giant Meta, which owns Facebook, has been fined nearly $1.3 billion for breaching privacy standards in the European Union. Regulators say it did not effectively protect users' data from American advertisers and spy agencies. Joining us now to discuss is Wall Street Journal tech reporter Sam Schechner.

Hi, Sam.

SAM SCHECHNER: Hey. Thanks for having me.

FADEL: So, Sam - thank you for being here. Sam, how consequential³ is this decision? That's a lot of money.

SCHECHNER: It is a lot of money. It is actually a record for the European Union under its privacy law, the GDPR. And, you know, even if it's not that much in the context of Meta's profit, it's still a big chunk⁴. And then there are the implications for its services going forward as well.

FADEL: And what are those implications? I mean, what's the message that they're sending here? The EU has had privacy concerns regarding this tech giant for years, right?

SCHECHNER: And this actually goes beyond Meta. There's been a kind of brewing⁵ dispute between the EU and the U.S. over data standards and whether or not and how surveillance agencies should be able to access the data of Europeans. And so this ruling really raises pressure on Washington and Brussels to strike a deal - something they've been working on, actually, for more than a year - to paper over these differences and allow the data, not just for Meta but for thousands of other companies, to keep flowing.

FADEL: How is Meta responding to this decision?

SCHECHNER: Well, Meta says, first of all, that they're going to appeal the decision, and they're also going to seek a stay to suspend the orders to, you know, stop sending data to the U.S. But, more broadly, they think the decision is flawed and sets a dangerous precedent⁶.

FADEL: But what does Meta have to do to come in line with EU standards?

SCHECHNER: Well, it's a big, big lift. You know, people close to the company have basically said they'd have to silo off data from Europeans from the servers in the U.S., which is a gargantuan⁷ task. Most of that stuff is already stored in the U.S. We're talking, you know, photos, private messages, all the kind of behind-the-scenes data used for ad targeting, which is stored in the U.S. And, you know, engineering that within - by fall seems a tall order for the company.

FADEL: And if it doesn't come in line with EU regulations, what does that mean for Meta's future and other tech giants' future in Europe?

SCHECHNER: Well, Meta has said that if the EU and the U.S. can't strike a replacement⁸ deal that it can rely on that it might have to suspend offering some services in the EU, and the same could end up being true for other companies. Of course, the proof will be in the pudding. You know, the EU represents a significant chunk of Meta's revenue, and I think the company would have a hefty incentive⁹ to solve that tough engineering challenge.

FADEL: And are there implications for Meta in the U.S. and in other places around the world?

SCHECHNER: Well, you know, I think, in general, there's an effort underway by the Europeans to leverage¹⁰ their privacy laws to force changes to U.S. surveillance practices. And, you know, that's something the Biden administration, actually, has started to do. They issued an executive order - do it. And so that could affect some of the ways in which data is collected. And it could give people outside the U.S. and inside the U.S. new means to challenge surveillance, both in the U.S. and overseas.

FADEL: Wall Street Journal tech reporter Sam Schechner.

Thank you so much, Sam.

SCHECHNER: It's been a pleasure.

1 breaching   

攻破( breach的过去式 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。
• Third, an agency can abuse its discretion by breaching certain principles of judge-made law. 第三，行政机关会因违反某些法官制定的法律原则而构成滥用自由裁量权。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 consequential   

adj.作为结果的，间接的；重要的

参考例句：

• She was injured and suffered a consequential loss of earnings.她受了伤因而收入受损。
• This new transformation is at least as consequential as that one was.这一新的转变至少和那次一样重要。

4 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

5 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

6 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

7 gargantuan   

adj.巨大的，庞大的

参考例句：

• My gargantuan,pristine machine was good for writing papers and playing solitaire,and that was all.我那庞大的、早期的计算机只适合写文章和玩纸牌游戏，就这些。
• Right away,I realized this was a mistake of gargantuan proportions.我立刻意识到这是一个巨大的错误。

8 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

9 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

10 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。