Meta’s Paid Service Under Fire for Potential EU Privacy Law Violations

Meta’s updated paid ad-free service may still violate EU privacy and consumer laws, according to the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC).

The group has urged regulators to take action against the company, claiming that the service does not offer users a fair choice and may breach privacy regulations.

Meta introduced a fee-based service for Facebook and Instagram in 2023, offering European users an option to reduce personalized ads.

However, BEUC argues that the changes made in 2024 were only cosmetic and failed to address the core issue. The consumer group claims that Meta is still pushing users toward its behavioral ads system and not giving them enough freedom to choose how their data is used.

BEUC Director General Agustin Reyna emphasized the need for EU regulators to investigate Meta’s new policies and take immediate action if necessary. He also criticized Meta for not minimizing the data it collects from users and for making it difficult for users to freely consent to data processing.

Meta disagrees with these claims, stating that the changes made in November 2024 meet EU regulations and go beyond what is required by law. However, BEUC remains concerned that Meta’s practices are misleading and unfair to consumers.

In addition to privacy concerns, EU antitrust regulators charged Meta in July 2024 for breaching the Digital Markets Act, claiming that its paid service forces users into a binary choice that limits their options.