EU Regulators: Meta’s Ad-Free Charge Breaches Rules

July 1, 2024 European Union, Social Media

European Union regulators accused social media company Meta Platforms on Monday of breaching the bloc’s new digital competition rulebook by forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them.

Meta began giving European users the option in November of paying for ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram as a way to comply with the continent’s strict data privacy rules.

Users can pay at least 10 euros ($10.75) a month to avoid being targeted by ads based on their personal data. The U.S. tech giant rolled out the option after the European Union’s top court ruled Meta must first get consent before showing ads to users.

Read the full article.

Meta’s ‘pay or consent’ policy breaks the Digital Markets Act, says Brussels.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has been designated a “gatekeeper” under the DSA and is subject to stricter obligations.https://t.co/o9FxqGYpIs

— euronews (@euronews) July 1, 2024