Meta Platforms has announced its intention to provide users of Instagram and Facebook in Europe with an option for “less personalised ads,” addressing increasing regulatory scrutiny. The decision was revealed on Tuesday by the tech firm headquartered in Menlo Park, California.
The company stated that this initiative aims to respond to the requests of European Union regulators.
In the coming weeks, users across the EU who access these social media platforms for free, supported by advertisements, will have the opportunity to opt for ads that are determined by what Meta describes as “context”—content that users engage with during a particular session.
Additionally, these advertisements will still utilize demographic information such as age, gender, and location. Some ads may also be unskippable for a brief duration.
Moreover, Meta intends to lower the cost of its ad-free subscription service by approximately 40 percent for European customers.
This development occurs amid heightened efforts by European regulators to curtail the influence of major technology companies and create a more equitable environment for smaller enterprises. This push is supported by the recently implemented Digital Markets Act (DMA).
A spokesperson for the EU commented on the situation, stating, “The new model introduced by Meta is under Meta’s sole responsibility, and it is neither endorsed by nor agreed with the Commission. It is too early to speculate on the effects of this on the ongoing non-compliance proceedings.”
The spokesperson further emphasized, “Our goal is to ensure that Meta achieves full and effective compliance as quickly as possible.”
In a ruling last month, the highest court in Europe determined that Meta must limit the use of personal data obtained from Facebook for the purposes of targeted advertising, siding with privacy advocate Max Schrems.
Anu Talus, chair of the European Data Protection Board, expressed some optimism regarding Meta’s announcement, stating, “While the solution still needs to be assessed, we welcome the fact that an important platform announces that it will offer a new choice for free with less detailed profiling for advertising.”
The news about Meta’s plans to introduce less personalized ads was initially reported by the Wall Street Journal.
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