ARTICLE · 02 JUNE 2023

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Understanding Data Privacy Regulations In South Africa: Lessons From Meta's Recent Fine

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In recent years data privacy has become a critical issue globally, and South Africa is no exception. The recent fine imposed on Meta Platform (the parent company of Facebook)...

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In recent years data privacy has become a critical issue globally, and South Africa is no exception. The recent fine imposed on Meta Platform (the parent company of Facebook) by the Irish-based Data Protection Commission (DPC) has shed light on the importance of data protection and the need for organisations to comply with data privacy regulations.

Meta was issued with a €1.2 billion (R25 billion) fine for contravening the European Union's data privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) by transferring the personal data of Facebook users to servers in the United States and was ordered to stop transferring data collected from Facebook users in the EU to the US.

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