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The Irish data regulator has opened a file on cyber-attack that allowed hackers to access more than 50 million Facebook accounts.
The Irish regulator is preparing to open a formal investigation under new radical European rules that expose the company to huge fines for serious data breaches.
The largest social network in the world Friday revealed that hackers had stolen keys to access more than 50 million user accounts. According to the Irish regulator, less than 10% of potentially affected users were in the EU.
Facebook, based in Silicon Valley, is one of dozens of major US groups that have chosen the Irish national regulator as a "one-stop shop" for data monitoring under the new EU General Protection Regulation. data, entered into force in May.
A spokeswoman for Irish Data Commissioner Helen Dixon said on Monday: "Before launching an investigation, some steps will have to be taken to collect information and prepare the framework for an investigation.
"In addition, we would have to determine under which provisions of the Data Protection Act of 2018 we would apply it. We are currently engaged in these steps. "
Data experts in Dublin believe that an investigation is now inevitable, as any survey is considered an important test for Ms Dixon's office under the GDPR.
Liam McKenna, a partner at Mazars Accountants in Dublin, said the violation of Facebook was a "very important" event and that Ms. Dixon was "under pressure to be seen to react".
Under the RGPD, Ms. Dixon – who had previously committed to using her "complete toolbox" to enforce the right to privacy – has the authority to impose fines of up to 4% of the figure. global business of a company for the most serious data breaches. Facebook's revenue in 2017 was 40.65 billion dollars.
The Irish regulator said that Facebook had quickly alerted Facebook about this violation, but that the notification "lacked precision". The regulator is also concerned about the company's inability to clarify the nature of the breach and the risks it has presented to users.
"What's not clear is who these people are. What data did they obtain? And what will they do with that? "Said Mr. McKenna de Mazars. "If it's a bad story, you expect there will be consequences for Facebook. But we do not yet know if this is the case. "
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Justin Antonipillai, a privacy expert who participated in the negotiation of the US-EU Privacy Shield Agreement, said that Facebook would be under regulatory control for the meticulousness with which it checked the code of its software.
"More than the GDPR and the regulators of other countries, Facebook's main problem is a fundamental loss of confidence," he said.
April Doss, Chair of Saul Ewing's Cybersecurity and Privacy Practices, and Senior Legal Counsel of the Senate for the Investigation of Russia's Interference with the US Election of 2016, said that Facebook should expect "a lot of monitoring" on both sides of the Atlantic.
"Facebook must be very worried about this and anticipate more hearings from the US Congress, the UK Parliament and new investigations by the EU data protection authorities," she said.
Additional report by Hannah Kuchler in San Francisco
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