Social media giant Meta has breached privacy rules, according to preliminary findings by the European Commission on Monday. The violation could lead to significant financial sanctions.
Meta has offered Facebook and Instagram users a paid subscription to avoid targeted advertising. However, wishing to maintain a free service means users must provide their personal information. Meta is accused of forcing multiple European users into a binary decision.
"Meta has forced millions of users across [the] EU into a binary choice: 'pay or consent'. In our preliminary conclusion this is a breach of the DMA," stated Commissioner Thierry Breton on X (formerly Twitter).
The #DMA is here to give back 🇪🇺 users the power to decide over their #data#Meta has forced millions of users across EU into a binary choice : “pay or consent”.
In our preliminary conclusion this is a breach of the DMA. Today we take an important step to ensure Meta complies. pic.twitter.com/lGXagHuq7J — Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) July 1, 2024
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is a set of rules which regulates the digital market, particularly larger companies within the sector which the EU deems to be 'gatekeepers'. The DMA ensures that there is fair competition in the sector and that companies' responsibilities with consumers are upheld, including the control consumers have over their personal data.
Non-compliance with the DMA has multiple consequences, including fines of up to 10% of the total annual turnover for a first breach, and up to 20% for a repeated breach.
