Facebook’s data watchdog ‘jumped gun’ on draft data flow ban

Facebook challenged 'the validity of the process' that led to the Irish Data Protection Commission’s preliminary decision in August that Facebook may no longer use so-called standard contractual clauses when it sends data to the United States. — AFP

Facebook Inc said a preliminary decision by its lead European Union privacy watchdog that risks banning it from using a key tool to continue transferring data across the Atlantic was premature and violated procedural safeguards.

The social network challenged "the validity of the process” that led to the Irish Data Protection Commission’s preliminary decision in August that Facebook may no longer use so-called standard contractual clauses when it sends data to the United States. The Irish probe was paused after Facebook sought a legal review of the decision from the courts.