Meta has announced that starting next Wednesday, some Facebook and Instagram users in the European Union will be able to opt out of sharing first-party data used to serve highly personalized ads for the first time. reported the Wall Street Journal. The move marks a significant change from Meta’s current business model. All video and content clicks on Meta’s platform provide data points for online advertisers.
People “familiar with the matter” told the journal that Facebook and Instagram users will soon have access to a form they can submit to Meta to object to the mass data collection. If these requests are approved, those users only allow Meta to target ads based on broader categories of data collection, such as age group or general location.
This is unlike the efforts of other large technology companies such as Apple and Google, which encourage users to opt-in or opt-out of highly personalized ads with the click of a button. Instead, Meta will review objection forms provided by individual users to assess the reasons for terminating such data collection before approving an opt-out. It is unclear why meta should deny the request.
A Meta spokesperson told Ars that Meta has not shared its appeals form publicly at this time, but that it will be available to EU users in its help center from 5 April. It was illegal in the EU for Meta to force Facebook and Instagram users to agree to data collection when they signed a contract to use the platform.
Meta intends to appeal these Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) rulings, believing that the legal basis of its previous agreements complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In the meantime, companies should change their legal basis for data collection. Meta announced in a blog post today that it claims it doesn’t need to obtain user consent directly because Social has a “legitimate interest” in collecting data to operate his platform.
“We believe our previous approach was GDPR compliant and continue to appeal both the content of the ruling and the fine,” Meta’s blog said. “However, this change ensures that we comply with the DPC’s decision.”
The DPC ruling comes after the EU consumer rights group NOYB filed numerous complaints against Meta for cleaning up data collection that violated the GDPR. In January, NOYB senior attorney Romain Robert told his Ars that Meta’s plan to use a “legitimate interest” basis for data collection requires more transparency from the company. said. Robert has said that Meta has shared enough information about data processing or published previously unknown details to be able to satisfy EU regulators on the legal basis of “legitimate interest”. He said it was unlikely that he would.
