Meta has been fined 390 million euros ($414 million) by the European Union (EU) regulators for online privacy violations including illegally forcing users to accept personalized ads.
According to a report by New York Times, Meta includes language in its terms of service agreement, the lengthy statement that users must accept before accessing services like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, which means users must allow their data to be used for personalized ads or stop using Meta’s social media services altogether. Since the user needs to agree to the terms before using the service, they have no choice but to allow their data to be used for ads.
Currently, Meta has been given three months to outline how it will comply with the ruling. Though the decision does not specify what Meta must do, it could lead to Meta allowing users to choose whether they want their data used for such targeted promotions.
Reportedly, with a large number of users opt-out of sharing their data would put Meta’s ad revenue at risk.
