Platforms should not confront users with 'binary choice' over personal data use

The EU’s Data Protection Board (EDPB) has told large online platforms they should not offer users a binary choice between paying for a service and consenting to their personal data being used to provide targeted advertising.

In October last year, the social media giant said it would be possible to pay Meta to stop Instagram or Facebook feeds of personalized ads and prevent it from using personal data for marketing for users in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland. Meta then announced a subscription model of €9.99/month on the web or €12.99/month on iOS and Android for users who did not want their personal data used for targeted advertising.

At the time, Felix Mikolasch, data protection lawyer at noyb, said: “EU law requires that consent is the genuine free will of the user. Contrary to this law, Meta charges a ‘privacy fee’ of up to €250 per year if anyone dares to exercise their fundamental right to data protection.”

  • DdCno1@kbin.social
    1·
    6 months ago

    Very interesting. Lots of news websites are operating on a very similar principle, with the user having to either accept all cookies or pay for an expensive subscription that allows them to opt out of tracking cookies. I’ve always thought that this couldn’t possibly be legal.

  • IsThisAnAI@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    The EU is clueless. They think they are going to bypass the advertising model and that users are going to pay hundreds of dollars for all the services. They will continue to fall behind the US and China and they don’t have a plan. There is going to be backlash when news organization pull out just like Canada.

    • Undaunted@feddit.deEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      Oh yes please make Meta pull all their crap out of the EU. I can’t wait for it!

      • IsThisAnAI@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        I’d be concerned with other services. Facebook is irrelevant in the larger policy push.

          • IsThisAnAI@lemmy.worldEnglish
            0·
            6 months ago

            What’s going to replace YT? Or insta? You going to go door to door to have everyone convert to signal?

            • gian @lemmy.grys.itEnglish
              1·
              6 months ago

              What’s going to replace YT? Or insta?

              Maybe nothing in the short term, but it is not that improbable that something will emerge. YT and insta are here just because they were the first, not that it is clear that there is a market (or a use for these kind of services), once you remove the one who don’t follow the laws, other will emerge.