In late 2023, Meta announced that users of Facebook and Instagram in the European Union could make a choice of signing up for a paid plan for those social networks without ads, or continue to use them for free with ads and with consent to use their personal info. Today, the EU's Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network sent a letter to Meta asking them to respond with possible changes to this "pay or content" plan on the grounds that they could violate EU consumer laws.
In its press release on the European Commission site, the CPC claimed Meta might be misleading EU users by using the word "free" for one of its plans Facebook/Instagram plans while also requiring that users "accept that Meta can make revenue from using their personal data to show them personalized ads."
It also claimed that Meta was "confusing users" due to the company making them go through a number of different screens in the Facebook and Instagram apps, or with links in the web version, to view various privacy and Terms of Service pages.
The CPC says that Meta now has until September 1 to respond to its letter, which should contain possible changes to its current plans so that they no longer are against EU consumer laws. If Meta decides not to respond to the letter by that date, the CPU says it could "decide to take enforcement measures, including sanctions."
Earlier in July, the European Commission announced it had made a preliminary finding on Meta's “pay or consent” business model for the EU. The EC claims that at the moment, it felt Meta was in violation of the EU's Digital Markets Act. The EC plans to officially conclude its investigation before March 25, 2025. If it does officially conclude Meta violated the DMA, the company could face fines of up to 10 percent of its total worldwide turnover.
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