Meta accused of breaking EU digital rules using paid or opt-in advertising model; Details

EU competition regulators on Monday accused Meta Platforms of breaking historic digital content rules, particularly the company’s recently implemented pay-or-consent advertising model.

Last November, the US internet giant introduced an ad-free subscription plan to Facebook and Instagram in Europe. It says users who have agreed to tracking will receive the free service, which is paid for by advertising revenue.

The European Commission, the EU’s competition watchdog, sent Meta a preliminary report saying the binary option violates the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to limit the influence of big tech companies.

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It said that rather than offering users a less customized but comparable version of Meta’s social networks, binary choice forces them to consent to the integration of their personal data.

EU Antitrust Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement: “We want to empower citizens to take control of their own data and choose less personalized advertising.”

The EU competition watchdog initially revealed to Reuters that it would pursue Meta for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA). It was a week before the EU body filed its first DMA against Apple for violating the new regulation, when the accusation was made against Meta.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp has introduced an Events feature to help users plan an event. The feature is currently being tested and is in beta. It may be available to public users in an upcoming stable update in the coming weeks.

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According to the report, the feature is used to schedule social groups and can be used by community members to create and manage activities such as social gatherings or online meetings.