EU court hears Facebook data sharing case

The Luxembourg-based court is expected to rule on whether standard contractual clauses governing data transfers comply with the European data protection regulations.

Luxembourg: The social media giant Facebook on Tuesday is fighting a legal battle over its data transfers to the US in the European Court of Justice.

The court is hearing arguments on whether Facebook's Dublin-based subsidiary can legally transfer users' personal data to its US parent.

The Luxembourg-based court is expected to rule on whether "standard contractual clauses" governing data transfers comply with the European data protection regulations.An Austrian privacy campaigner, Maximilian (Max) Schrems slapped the case in 2013 after former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed the extent of electronic surveillance by US security agencies.

Schrems had filed the case over the concerns of illegal data access by US security agencies.

The European Union's executive commission had approved the data-sharing agreements.