Meta will introduce an option where you can use Facebook and Instagram without paying a fee, and at the same time receive advertisements based on less personal information than before. This comes after input from the supervisory authorities.
Today, Facebook and Instagram users have to choose between accepting profiling for behavioral marketing or paying a monthly fee – so-called “consent or pay” or “pay or okay”. Such models are controversial because many believe they do not give users a voluntary choice. Behavior-based marketing has also been criticized for involving monitoring of the individual’s movements online, which challenges privacy.
The change comes, among other things, after input from data supervisory authorities in Europe. Meta’s “consent or pay” model has also been under the scrutiny of the European Commission, which enforces the EU regulation “Digital Markets Act”.
It is important to have real freedom of choice
– For the supervisory authorities, it has been important to work to ensure that users have real freedom of choice when they are asked for consent. Although we have to assess the details of the changes more closely, it is positive that it is moving in the direction of more choice and control for users, says section manager Tobias Judin.
According to the announcement from Meta, the ads in the new option will be based on the individual’s age, gender and estimated location, among other things. In addition, the user will receive so-called contextual marketing, meaning that the ads are adapted to the content you are viewing. If you see posts or videos about cars, you can, for example, get car-related advertisements. At the same time, it may be worth noting that although contextual ads are initially only linked to what the user is looking at, detailed profiling and personalization takes place in the background to determine which posts and videos you get on Facebook and Instagram. Thus, it is unclear to what extent this profiling indirectly also affects which advertisements you see.
European processes
The European Privacy Council has previously issued a general statement on “consent or pay” models on large internet platforms , at the request of the data supervisory authorities in Norway, the Netherlands and Hamburg. In the statement, the Personal Data Protection Council states that there is a risk that consent will not be valid when the individual has to choose between accepting behavior-based marketing or paying. Therefore, the Norwegian Privacy Council recommends that when platforms use this type of business model, there should be a third option that is free and involves more privacy-friendly marketing.
– It is a positive development for privacy, and a step in the right direction when users get better choices. This gives users greater control over their own information, says Judin.
As far as Meta is concerned, it is the data supervisory authority in Ireland that has the main responsibility for supervision according to the data protection rules, in close cooperation with the other data supervisory authorities in the EEA. In this way, a supervisory process has been ongoing with Meta regarding their “consent or pay” model, and it is in this context that Meta has received input. In this process, it will still be assessed whether Meta’s changes respond to concerns related to freedom of choice and marketing that challenge privacy.
– In the future, we will look more closely at the details of the changes, in collaboration with our European colleagues, says Judin.
According to Meta, the change will be rolled out over the next few weeks.
https://www.datatilsynet.no/aktuelt/aktuelle-nyheter-2024/meta-med-nye-valgmuligheter