Meta to ask EU users’ permission to show targeted advertising
Social media giants Facebook and Instagram, owned by parent company Meta, are to seek permission from EU users to display personalised advertisements. The move challenges the platforms' principal revenue generation strategy and comes after several regulatory rulings that questioned the firm's legal grounds for utilising audience data for targeted advertising.
Meta previously asserted it had a 'legitimate interest' in processing users' data for this purpose. However, the company now acknowledges it must seek user consent under EU data protection regulations. The decision will be closely scrutinised by the UK data watchdog, which emphasised that the new measure does not currently include the UK.
The announcement follows Apple's privacy update, requiring app developers to secure user consent to track online activity for personalised ads. Advertising accounted for 97% of Meta's revenue last year, equating to $117 billion.
Data protection experts suggest the change could significantly impact Meta's business model, as many users may not consent to their data being used for targeted ads. Meta's decision follows judgements by the Irish Data Protection Commission, the EU court of justice, and the Norwegian Data Protection Authority.
The announcement follows Apple's privacy update, requiring app developers to secure user consent to track online activity for personalised ads. Advertising accounted for 97% of Meta's revenue last year, equating to $117 billion.
Data protection experts suggest the change could significantly impact Meta's business model, as many users may not consent to their data being used for targeted ads. Meta's decision follows judgements by the Irish Data Protection Commission, the EU court of justice, and the Norwegian Data Protection Authority.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
