The past couple of months hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta. From its first-ever recorded Year-on-Year revenue drops, laying off 13% of its workforce and yet another $414 million fine by the European Union over the use of user’s data for personalised ads on Facebook and Instagram.
In a statement by the Irish Data Protection Commission, the EU has given the WhatsApp parent company a three-month ultimatum to realign its services and bring them in line with EU law.
The regulator initially fined Facebook €210 million and slapped another €180 million fine on Instagram after the Irish watchdog concluded that the company’s terms of service that required users to accept personalised ads when signing up to any of its aforementioned social media platforms violated EU rules.
As reported by CBS News, the statement also added that Meta, “Is not entitled to rely on the ‘contract’ legal basis in connection with the delivery of behavioral advertising” on Facebook and Instagram, and that its processing of customer data breaches the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR.
In response to the fine, Meta expressed its disappointment with the EU’s actions and said that there’s been a lack of regulatory clarity about the legal basis companies should use for certain adverts.
Meta said in an emailed statement, “These decisions do not prevent targeted or personalized advertising on our platform. The decisions relate only to which legal basis Meta uses when offering certain advertising.” Adding that it “strongly disagrees” with the EU authority’s findings and is ready to appeal.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
