2025-01-23 12:13:00 :
Meta Platforms’ revised ad-free subscription service may still breach EU consumer and privacy laws in addition to antitrust rules, the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) said on Thursday, urging regulators to take action against the U.S. tech giant.
Meta launched paid services for Facebook and Instagram in 2023, then gave European users the option to receive less personalized ads and cut fees by 40% last year.
BEUC complained about the fee-based service to the consumer protection agency in 2023 and said changes made last year were cosmetic.
“We believe the tech giant has failed to address the fundamental problem that Facebook and Instagram users are not afforded fair choices, and its efforts to push users to use its behavioral advertising systems appear weak while claiming it complies with EU law.”, said BEUC Director General Agustin Reyna.
“It is important for consumer and data protection authorities, as well as the European Commission, to quickly investigate Meta’s latest policies and take immediate and effective measures, if needed, to protect consumers,” he said.
BEUC claims Meta’s misleading practices and unclear terminology lead users to select their preferred options.
The consumer group also said that users cannot freely consent to the processing of their data and that Meta does not minimize the data it collects from users.
BEUC also accused Meta of reducing the quality of service to users who did not consent to the use of their personal data.
Meta said last year’s changes were made in response to requests from EU regulators. In July last year, the company was accused by EU antitrust regulators of violating the Digital Markets Act, saying its paid ad-free service constituted a binary choice for users.
Follow us On Social Media   Twitter/X
