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European consumer network BEUC is fighting against the ad-free subscription formula for Facebook and Instagram in Europe. This is just an attempt to cover up “illegal data practices,”
European consumer network BEUC is fighting against the ad-free subscription formula for Facebook and Instagram in Europe. This is just an attempt to cover up “illegal data practices,” it seems.
Eight members of the European consumer network BEUC have filed a GDPR complaint with national supervisory authorities, the organization writes in a press release. The organization claims that the formula that requires European users to pay not to see (personalized) advertising messages on Facebook and Instagram violates GDPR law.
“Meta has repeatedly tried to justify the massive commercial surveillance it subjects its users to. The unfair “pay or agree” decision is an excuse to obscure what is essentially the same as sucking in all sorts of sensitive information about people’s lives and then monetizing it through its invasive advertising model. “It’s time for the authorities to put an end to Meta’s unfair data processing and violation of people’s fundamental rights,” rails Ursula Pachl from BEUC against the social media giant.
Since November, Facebook and Instagram users in Europe have had the choice of whether or not they want to see personalized advertising in their news feed. Parent company Meta made these adjustments under pressure from the European Union, which sought to restrict the company’s lucrative data business. If you don’t want to see advertising, you have to pay 9.99 euros (desktop) to 12.99 euros (smartphone) per month – a hefty fee if you ask us.
Data protection advocates also think so. The Noyb organization went to court in January because it believes it is unacceptable that Meta makes people pay for their basic rights, namely not to be tracked online. BEUC considers that Meta has no valid legal basis under the GDPR to impose this choice on its users as, in their view, this “cannot lead to the release of informed consent”.
Meta responds to The Register that it does not agree with BEUC’s allegations and is convinced that the subscription formula is in line with European law. Advertising remains Meta’s top source of revenue by a wide margin, with advertising accounting for $132 billion of its total annual revenue of $135 billion in fiscal 2023.
Source: IT Daily
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