EU bans Meta's use of personal data for behavioural advertising
The European Data Protection Board said Wednesday it had adopted a binding decision that will ban Facebook and Instagram owner Meta from using the personal data of users for targeted advertisements.
The order will "impose a ban on the processing of personal data for behavioural advertising on the legal bases of contract and legitimate interest across the entire European Economic Area," the EDPB said.
The order comes after Meta said on Monday that Facebook and Instagram users in Europe will be able to buy subscriptions to use the social networks without any advertising from this month.
"Meta has already announced that we will give people in the EU and EEA the opportunity to consent and, in November, will offer a subscriptions model to comply with regulatory requirements," a Meta representative said.
The company said EDPB members have been aware of its consent plan for weeks and that it had been fully engaged with them to arrive at a satisfactory outcome.
"This development unjustifiably ignores that careful and robust regulatory process," the company representative added.
The EDPB said it took the decision following a request from Norway's data regulator, which earlier this year imposed a ban on sending Facebook and Instagram users targeted advertisements based on their personal data which the social media platform collects without their explicit consent.
The EDPB decision forces Ireland's data regulator, which has authority over Meta's operations in Europe, to take final measures on the issue within two weeks, with a ban to enter force a week later.
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