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Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta platforms announced a subscription model for Facebook and Instagram last year. However, this ran into some problems in the European Union with authorities saying that it breaches the region’s privacy rules. While the company has maintained the changes are in line with the regulatory rulings, the social media giant is again hit with privacy complaints by many EU consumer groups.
Eight EU consumer groups from the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain have urged data protection authorities in their countries to act against the Facebook owner, alleging that the subscription model breaches Europe’s privacy rules when it collects user data.
What these right groups are saying
The groups say that Meta is not complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules on fair processing, data minimisation and purpose limitation.
“Surveillance-based business models pose all kinds of problems under the GDPR and it’s time for data protection authorities to stop Meta’s unfair data processing and its infringing of people’s fundamental rights,” news agency Reuters quoted Ursula Pachl, deputy director general of the European Consumer Organisation, as saying.
Meta charges EUR 9.99/month on the web (or EUR 12.99/month on mobile) for those who do not want to see any ads on their Facebook and Instagram accounts. If you want to access these social media platforms for free, you will have to agree to their tracking.
The groups have argued that this means that users have to pay for their privacy.
What Meta has to say
Meta said its subscription changes are a response to regulatory actions and court rulings.
“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 said.
“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.
Eight EU consumer groups from the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain have urged data protection authorities in their countries to act against the Facebook owner, alleging that the subscription model breaches Europe’s privacy rules when it collects user data.
What these right groups are saying
The groups say that Meta is not complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules on fair processing, data minimisation and purpose limitation.
“Surveillance-based business models pose all kinds of problems under the GDPR and it’s time for data protection authorities to stop Meta’s unfair data processing and its infringing of people’s fundamental rights,” news agency Reuters quoted Ursula Pachl, deputy director general of the European Consumer Organisation, as saying.
Meta charges EUR 9.99/month on the web (or EUR 12.99/month on mobile) for those who do not want to see any ads on their Facebook and Instagram accounts. If you want to access these social media platforms for free, you will have to agree to their tracking.
The groups have argued that this means that users have to pay for their privacy.
What Meta has to say
Meta said its subscription changes are a response to regulatory actions and court rulings.
“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 said.
“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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