The European Commission said this Monday that the American company Meta violates the Digital Markets Act regarding the collection of personal data from users by forcing them to pay if they do not want the company to use it to display personalized advertising on Facebook And Instagram.

“Meta has left millions of users in the EU with a binary choice: pay or agree. According to our preliminary conclusion, this is a violation of the law on digital markets,” said European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton.

“We want to give citizens the ability to control their own data and choose a less personalized form of advertising”, added Margrethe Vestager, Vice-President of the European Commission for the Digital Age, in her statement.

Brussels will continue the investigation until March 2025, and in the meantime expects Meta to provide an alternative solution to its advertising model, But if he confirms his initial findings, he could end up fining the company 10% of its global turnover.

Sanction may rise to 20% in case of repeated non-compliance with the rules, the Commission can force Meta to sell part of his business.

Digital Markets Act obliges major internet companies obtain user consent to use your personal data, combine it between different platforms – in this case, for example, between Facebook And Instagram- for the purpose of displaying personalized advertising.

And if users do not give their consent, they should be given the option access an equivalent service that you do not use this information as often for advertising purposes.

The community leader believes that the payment option Meta gives users to keep their data from being used violates the rules because does not allow them to “exercise their right to freely consent to the association of their personal information” and because it does not allow them to choose a service that uses less personal data, but is instead equivalent to a service based on “personalized advertising”.

You might be interested > Europe Investigates Whether Apple, Alphabet, and Meta Comply With New Antitrust Law

“The goal must offer us, or rather set us in motion, what we hope he will accomplish.” with the rules,” said a source in the community.

(EFE)