Meta Will Ask User Approval In EU For Behavior-Based Ads

Meta, seeking user approval in the European Union before allowing businesses to target ads (photo: Twitter @meta)

JAKARTA - Meta, owner of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, plans to seek user approval in the European Union before allowing businesses to target advertising based on what users see on their services. This change was announced by the social media giant on Tuesday, August 1.

Meta stated that this change was a response to some of the regulatory requirements that continue to grow in the region and came from an order in January by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, the main regulator of Meta in the EU, to revisit the legal basis on how they target advertising.

Previously, Facebook and Instagram users had effectively approved the use of their data in ads based on behavior when they signed up for the terms and conditions of the service, until regulators decided that Meta could not process personal information in such a way.

"In today's announcement, we plan to change the legal basis we use to process certain data for behavior-based ads for people in the EU, EAE (European Economy Environment), and Switzerland from 'Deal Weights' to 'Agreements'," Meta said in a blog post.

"These changes will not have a direct impact on our services in the region. Once these changes are implemented, advertisers will still be able to run personalized advertising campaigns to reach potential customers and develop their businesses. We have considered these changes in our business views."

Meta added that it will share more information on how the process will function in practice in the next few months after further consultations with regulators.

A spokesperson for the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, which is the main privacy regulator for many of the world's largest tech companies operating in the EU, said they had received a letter from Meta on the matter.