When Facebook bought Instagram in 2012, it routed profits through an Irish company tax-resident in the Cayman Islands. It has settled part of the resulting dispute before the US Tax Court.
The EU’s data protection watchdog asserts control over Ireland and sends a stark warning to multinationals channelling user details overseas via Dublin, but the courts will have the final say.
The Data Protection Commission has recently handed down over €1bn in fines against Meta-owned companies for privacy breaches under GDPR. The latest against messaging service WhatsApp is a drop in the ocean by comparison at €5.5 million. Yet it too is now subject to legal challenge.
The tech giant, which recently announced it was laying off 13 per cent of its workforce, is leaving its Grand Canal Square offices in Dublin four years earlier than the lease's break date.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, is appealing the biggest fine ever handed down by the Irish data regulator.
An anonymous message board for tech workers reveals salaries, disdain for Irish taxes and thoughts on life in Dublin. Popular in Silicon Valley, Blind has now found an eager new audience in Ireland.
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