Ireland’s data regulator confirmed to AFP that Meta has not paid any of the ₹2 billion ($2.2 billion) in fines issued since last September. TikTok also owes hundreds of millions.
I always wondered what recourse these governments have to enforce these fines.
It’s not like these companies are just refusing to pay their fines, as this article falsely implies. There are ongoing legal disputes. Most of Meta’s “unpaid” fines, for example, are from just six months ago and there are legitimate disagreements on them that are subject to appeal.
Of course, that’s understood, but what I wonder about is how would they enforce it? Does Ireland have the capabilities to block all of Meta’s IPs nationwide? If so, what about VPNs? Can they get Apple and Google to delist Meta for Irish citizens? Essentially, I’m wondering about the logistics of enforcement.
