By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – META PLATFORMS’ REVISED AD-FREE PAID SERVICE MAY STILL VIOLATE EU PRIVACY, CONSUMER LAWS, CONSUMER GROUP SAYS
CONSUMER GROUP URGES EU REGULATORS TO ACT AGAINST META
Meta Platforms’ (NASDAQ:) overhauled ad-free subscription service could still violate European consumer and privacy laws in addition to antitrust rules, the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) said on Thursday as it urged regulators to take action against the American technology giant.
Meta, which rolled out the paid service for Facebook and Instagram in 2023, then offered European users the option to receive less personalized ads and a 40% reduction in fees last year.
BEUC, which complained about the paid service to consumer protection authorities in 2023, said the changes made last year were cosmetic.
“In our view, the tech giant is failing to address the fundamental problem that Facebook and Instagram users are not being offered a fair choice and is making a half-hearted attempt by claiming it is complying to European legislation while pushing users towards its behavioral advertising system,” said BEUC Director General, Agustin Reyna.
“It is important that consumer and data protection authorities as well as the European Commission promptly investigate Meta’s latest policy and, if necessary, take immediate and effective action to protect consumers,” he said. he declared.
BEUC claims that Meta’s misleading practices and unclear terms steer users toward its preferred option.
The consumer group also said that it is not possible for users to 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 degrading service to users who do not accept the use of their personal data.
Meta said changes made last year responded to requests from European regulators. The company was charged by EU antitrust regulators in July last year for violating the Digital Markets Act, saying its ad-free paid service posed a binary choice for users.