Meta faces Europe-wide data privacy restrictions for flouting norms with targetted ads

livemint.com:

How Europe’s new digital law will change the internet It's worth noting that Norway's data protection authority had advocated for this Europe-wide ban after previously implementing restrictions on Meta's behavioral advertising in July, as per the report. These restrictions centered on tracking user activity on social media platforms in great detail and creating user profiles based on their interests, location, and content preferences. Furthermore, in August, the Norwegian agency imposed a daily fine of 1 million kroner ($90,000) on Meta for failing to comply with the ban.

This has resulted in cumulative penalties amounting to 79 million kroner, as reported by Tobias Judin, a spokesperson for the Norwegian watchdog, it said. The European Union's top court had in July clarified that processing users' personal data for advertisements without their consent goes against EU data protection regulations. This decision heightened the risk of further regulatory scrutiny for Meta.

Also Read: Meta’s European game seems to be hanging by a slim thread The judgment emphasized that while users must have the option to individually refuse consent for unnecessary data processing, they should not be prevented from using the service. Instead, users should be provided with an equivalent alternative, possibly for a fee, without such data processing activities. As a response to this, Meta announced its intention to introduce ad-free access to Facebook and Instagram for European users through a subscription starting in November, the report added.