Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp's parent company Meta faces potential bans in the European Union for using personal data for targeted advertisements.
The social media platforms collect various user information, such as age, location, education and hobbies, as well as monitor the posts they view. This data targeting helps sites show highly personalised ads, a lucrative feature for advertisers.
This use of tailored advertising circumvents EU privacy rules, according to the European Data Protection Board's (EDPB) ruling which was published on Wednesday. The regulators argue that Meta lacks a "legitimate legal basis" for processing such personal data.
Given Meta is based in Ireland, the Irish regulator IE SA was instructed by the EDPB to take steps to ensure social media platforms adhere to the ban.
"Meta has been found by the IE SA to not have demonstrated compliance with the orders imposed at the end of last year. It is high time for Meta to bring its processing into compliance and to stop unlawful processing," the body noted.
Meta has been given two weeks to rectify the situation, despite claiming that its efforts to comply have not been properly considered.
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The urgent binding decision made by the board followed a request from the Norwegian Data Protection Authority to take final measures in the matter. In August, Norway hit Meta with a fine, amounting to almost €50,000 per day, for collecting data from Norwegian users for personalised advertisements. It then initiated the process for the European ban.
This news comes in the wake of Meta's announcement that it plans to launch an ad-free version for paid subscriptions. According to the company, this payment model adheres to regulations. Meta affirms that regulators have been aware of this plan for weeks, and "collaborative efforts are underway to achieve a satisfying outcome for all parties."
