Meta to Give Europeans a Choice on Personalized Ads Under the Digital Markets Act
Starting in January, Meta will give European users a choice of either consenting to share all their personal data in exchange for personalized ads or opting to share less information for more limited advertising, the European Commission said Monday.
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The platform agreed to offer the choice to settle a noncompliance decision under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which also involved a fine of 200 million euros ($233 million), the EC said.
In April's noncompliance decision, the first under the DMA, the EC found that Meta's "consent or pay" advertising model violated the act because it didn't give users the required specific choice to choose a service that uses less of their personal data but is otherwise equivalent to the "personalized ads" service (see 2504230020). The model also didn't allow users to exercise their right to freely consent to the combination of their personal data.
Once the policy changes are made in January, the EC said, it will gather feedback and evidence from Meta and other stakeholders on their effect.
The European Consumer Organisation will closely monitor what Meta does, "given that it has failed since November 2023 to provide consumers with a fair choice on ads that complies with the law," said Director General Agustin Reyna. Whatever changes Meta makes must not be cosmetic but give consumers meaningful choice, he added.