Paid Advertising Free Service From Meta Allegedly Violating EU Privacy Law

JAKARTA The paid ad-free service revised by Meta Platforms Inc., may still violate EU consumer law and privacy as well as antitrust rules. This was said by the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) on Thursday, January 23, while urging regulators to act against the US tech giant.

Meta, which launched cost-based services for Facebook and Instagram in 2023, then offered European users the option to receive underpersonalized ads, and cost cuts by 40% last year.

BEUC, which filed a complaint about the cost-based service to consumer protection authorities in 2023, said last year's changes were only cosmetic.

"In our view, the tech giant has failed to address the fundamental issue that Facebook and Instagram users are not presented with a fair choice and are making weak attempts to argue that they comply with EU law while continuing to push users towards their behavior-based ad system," said BEUC Director-General Agustin Reyna, quoted by VOI from Reuters.

"It is important for the consumer protection authority and data as well as the European Commission to immediately investigate Meta's latest policies and, if necessary, take swift and effective action to protect consumers," he added.

A Meta spokesperson disagreed with BEUC's conclusion, saying that changes in November met EU regulators' demands and exceeded what EU law required.

BEUC alleges that Meta's misleading practices and unclear terms direct users towards the Meta desired option.

Consumer groups also say that it is impossible for users to provide free approval for their processed data and that Meta does not minimize the data collected from users.

BEUC also accused Meta of lowering service quality to users who disagree with the use of their personal data.

The EU antitrust regulator accused Meta in July last year of violating the Digital Markets Act, saying Meta's paid ad-free service was a binary choice for users.