
European Union accuses Facebook owner Meta of breaking digital rules with paid ad-free option
Associated PressLONDON — European Union regulators accused social media company Meta Platforms on Monday of breaching the bloc’s new digital competition rulebook by forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them. The U.S. tech giant rolled out the option after the European Union’s top court ruled Meta must first get consent before showing ads to users, in a decision that threatened its business model of tailoring ads based on individual users’ online interests and digital activity. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said preliminary findings of its investigation show that Meta’s “pay or consent” advertising model was in breach of the 27-nation bloc’s Digital Markets Act. Meta’s model doesn’t allow users to exercise their right to “freely consent” to allowing their personal data from its various services, including Facebook, Instagram, Marketplace, WhatsApp, and Messenger, to be combined to target them with personalized online ads, the commission said.
History of this topic

Meta plans to charge $14 a month for ad-free Instagram or Facebook
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Meta to show rival ads providers on Marketplace after EU antitrust fine
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Meta tries letting Facebook Marketplace users view eBay listings as way to resolve EU charges
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EU fines Meta over 800 mln USD for breaching EU antitrust rules
China Daily
EU fines Meta over 800 mln USD for breaching EU antitrust rules
China Daily
EU fines Meta over 800 mln USD for breaching EU antitrust rules
China Daily
EU fines Meta over 800 mln USD for breaching EU antitrust rules
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EU imposes €797 million fine on Meta Platforms for abusive Facebook ad practices
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Europe fines Meta $840 million over practices benefiting Facebook Marketplace
CNN
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Instagram, Facebook users in Europe to get less personalised ads, low-cost plans
Hindustan Times
Facebook and Instagram users in Europe can opt for less personalized ads
Associated Press
Meta to offer ‘less personalized ads’ in concession to EU
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South Korea fines Meta $15 million: What we know so far
The Independent
Competition watchdog accepts Meta ad data rule changes
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EU Tells Meta to Address Consumer Fears over Pay for Privacy
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Nigeria fines Meta $220 mn over breach of data protection, consumer rights laws
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EU takes Elon Musk's X to court over blue checks and ads
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European Union accuses Facebook owner Meta of breaking digital rules with paid ad-free option
The Hindu
Meta’s Pay-for-Privacy Model Is Illegal, Says EU
Wired
EU may charge Instagram and Facebook-parent Meta over digital rules violation: Report
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Meta accused of breaking European law with its ‘pay or consent’ model
CNN
EU charges Meta in latest hit on Big Tech
Al Jazeera
Facebook owner Meta seeks to train AI model on European data as it faces privacy concerns
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Facebook owner Meta seeks to train AI model on European data as it faces privacy concerns
Associated Press
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EU investigates Meta over Facebook and Instagram child safety
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EU opens probe into Facebook and Instagram amid claims they are not doing enough to tackle Russian disinformation ahead of crunch elections
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EU opens competition investigations into Apple, Google and Meta
The Independent
Meta targeted in privacy complaints by 8 EU consumer groups
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Meta accused of ‘massive, illegal’ data collection operation by European consumer rights groups
CNN
Facebook must face $3.8 bln UK mass action over market dominance, tribunal rules
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Instagram, Facebook users to get more choices to comply with DMA, says Meta
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Meta enables EU users to disconnect Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger Accounts
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Welcome to the ad-free internet
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Spanish newspaper association files multimillion-euro suit against Meta over advertising practices
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