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A coalition of 28 organisations has urged Europe’s privacy enforcers to oppose Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms’ subscription service that was launched in the region last November. The claim that the service makes users pay a fee to protect their privacy.
The group – which includes privacy advocate Max Schrems’ team NOYB, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Wikimedia Europe and the Electronic Privacy Information Centre – argued that this subscription model can be copied by other companies, as per news agency Reuters.
In a joint letter to the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), the coalition emphasised the concerns over the subscription model. This appeal comes as the EDPB prepares to issue guidance in the coming weeks on the consent or pay model.
Notably, the development follows a request from the Dutch, Norwegian and Hamburg privacy watchdogs to the EU privacy regulator for an opinion.
Other tech giants may follow Meta’s lead
The 28 organisations warned that other companies may follow Meta’s lead.
“If ‘pay or okay‘ is permitted, it will not be limited to news pages or social networks but will be employed by any industry sector with an ability to monetise personal data via consent,” the group said in the letter.
“In practice, this would successfully undermine the GDPR, the high European data protection standard and wash away all realistic protections against surveillance capitalism,” they added.
What Meta has to say
Meta defended its service, asserting compliance with EU regulations by offering users a choice: pay for privacy or consent to targeted advertising. The company stated that users who opt for ad tracking receive a free service funded by advertising revenues.
“Subscription for no ads’ addresses the latest regulatory developments, guidance and judgments shared by leading European regulators and the courts over recent years,” a Meta spokesperson was quoted as saying.
“Specifically, it conforms to direction given by the highest court in Europe: in July, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) endorsed the subscriptions model as a way for people to consent to data processing for personalised advertising,” the spokesperson added.
The group – which includes privacy advocate Max Schrems’ team NOYB, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Wikimedia Europe and the Electronic Privacy Information Centre – argued that this subscription model can be copied by other companies, as per news agency Reuters.
In a joint letter to the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), the coalition emphasised the concerns over the subscription model. This appeal comes as the EDPB prepares to issue guidance in the coming weeks on the consent or pay model.
Notably, the development follows a request from the Dutch, Norwegian and Hamburg privacy watchdogs to the EU privacy regulator for an opinion.
Other tech giants may follow Meta’s lead
The 28 organisations warned that other companies may follow Meta’s lead.
“If ‘pay or okay‘ is permitted, it will not be limited to news pages or social networks but will be employed by any industry sector with an ability to monetise personal data via consent,” the group said in the letter.
“In practice, this would successfully undermine the GDPR, the high European data protection standard and wash away all realistic protections against surveillance capitalism,” they added.
What Meta has to say
Meta defended its service, asserting compliance with EU regulations by offering users a choice: pay for privacy or consent to targeted advertising. The company stated that users who opt for ad tracking receive a free service funded by advertising revenues.
“Subscription for no ads’ addresses the latest regulatory developments, guidance and judgments shared by leading European regulators and the courts over recent years,” a Meta spokesperson was quoted as saying.
“Specifically, it conforms to direction given by the highest court in Europe: in July, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) endorsed the subscriptions model as a way for people to consent to data processing for personalised advertising,” the spokesperson added.
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