By Daniela Carrasco
Marketing4eCommerce Editor
Meta is facing fresh allegations of data privacy violations over the “offer” to opt out of ads on Facebook and Instagram , introduced last November. The complainants are eight consumer groups based in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, France, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain, which are coordinated by the European consumer organisation BEUC.
The Spanish representative of the group is the Federation of Consumers and Users, CECU , who filed the complaint with the national data protection authorities (AEPD) . In it, the director of CECU, David Sánchez , stated that "For a long time there has been a disparity of power between large technology companies and the individuals who use their afghanistan number data services. This new policy of 'paying or consenting to the use of our information for advertising' exemplifies this imbalance and is another way of trying to maintain the model of mass commercial surveillance to which we are subjected every day."
9.99 euros for your privacy
The ad-free version of Meta is a subscription offering introduced by the company in response to European Union (EU) privacy regulations, specifically the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) and the Digital Services Act ( DSA ).
In November 2022, Mark Zuckerberg's company launched a paid plan for users in the EU that allows them to enjoy Facebook and Instagram without displaying ads. Users who opt for this subscription pay a monthly fee of €9.99/month on the web and €12.99/month on iOS and Android. This subscription applies to all Facebook and Instagram accounts linked in a user's Account Center.
However, BEUC claims that the information provided by Meta on how consumer data will be treated in either case - whether or not consumers pay - is not sufficient or clear and claims that the multinational is seeking to "coerce consumers into accepting the processing of their personal data."