We regularly talk about the record fines imposed on digital giants: Meta, Google, Amazon and even Tiktok. In all, billions and billions of euros, for violation of competition laws, poor management of users’ personal data or even for the lack of moderation of content published on social networks. But what happens next? Often, these considerable fines take many years to be paid, particularly in Europe.
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Google – for example – is still fighting with the European Union against a series of fines of eight billion euros that the firm received for abuse of a dominant position between 2017 and 2019. The same goes for Meta, the parent company. of Facebook and Instagram, which still owes two billion to Ireland, in particular for having violated the rules for protecting users’ personal data. A series of fines imposed since last year.
Billions of Euro’s
Thus on the European continent, TikTok, Amazon, and even Apple also have hundreds of millions, even several billion euros to pay each. Similar disputes exist all over the world: this week, Australia confirmed that the social network , since its acquisition by Elon Musk last year, to fight much less against the dissemination of child abuse images on the platform.
Multiplication of appeals
Tech giants tend to increase legal recourse, to delay deadlines, and try to obtain a more lenient sentence. Remedies obviously authorized for any company sued in court. But for some NGOs, this costs States too much, and it is a strategy to escape tax, competition, or even data protection rules, they say. Some therefore call for firmer measures, beyond financial sanctions.