Mark Zuckerberg Facing Prohibited Targeted Advertising from European Union
On Wednesday, the European data regulator announced its decision to expand the ban on “behavioural advertising” on Facebook and Instagram, which was initially imposed by Norway, to include all 30 countries within the European Union and the European Economic Area.
The ban on such advertising, which targets users by harvesting their data, is a setback for US tech giant Meta Platforms, owner of two social media services, which has resisted efforts to curb the practice.
Norway’s data protection authority said Metal faces a fine of up to 4% of its global turnover.
The decision by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) is a directive to the DPA in Ireland, where Meta’s European headquarters are located, to impose a permanent ban on the company’s use of behavioral advertising within two weeks, the EDPB said in a statement. Reuters.
“On 27 October, the EDPB took an urgent binding decision … to prohibit the processing of personal data for behavioral advertising on contractual grounds and on the basis of legitimate interest throughout the European Economic Area,” it said.
Meta said on Wednesday that it already allows users in the EU and EEA to give their consent and would offer a subscription model in November that meets the requirements of the regulations.
“EDPB members have been aware of this plan for weeks and we were already fully engaged with them to reach a mutually satisfactory outcome,” said a company spokesperson.
“This development unjustifiably ignores that careful and robust regulatory process.”
Since August 7, Metal has been fined a million kroner ($90,000) a day in Norway for violating users’ privacy by using their data, such as location or browsing behavior, for advertising, a business model common to Big Tech.
Norway’s data protection authority, Datatilsynet, announced in September that it had transferred the ongoing fine to the European regulator because its fine was only valid in Norway.
This fine expires on November 3, but according to Datatilsynet’s head of international department Tobias Judin, Meta may face a much tougher financial penalty.
“As we now get a permanent ban, failure to comply with an EU/EEA-wide ban would be a breach of the GDPR in itself, punishable by up to 4% of global turnover,” Judin told Reuters.
GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation, is the EU’s data protection regulation.
Norway is not a member of the EU, but is part of the European Single Market.
The decision affects around 250 million Facebook and Instagram users in Europe, Datatilsynet said.
