EDPB responds to open letter on “confidential” dealings in Facebook case

In May, we published an open letter describing the Irish DPA’s (DPC) “Kafkaesque” procedure for its handling of the Facebook case. The Facebook Group could face a fine of up to € 2.5 billion if the DPC follows the findings in its internal investigator report. While we have not received any answer from the European Commission or the European Parliament on the matter, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has answered noyb’s letter. We were glad to read that the EDPB is aware of the issues requiring improvement, including differences in national administrative procedural laws, and the time and resources needed to resolve cross-border cases. The EDPB also confirmed that it has been working to improve consistency procedures and cooperation between the supervisory authorities (DPAs). Aside from the EDPB’s official answer, we have also received some informal and very positive feedback from several DPAs on the open letter and the issues raised in it.