The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has issued an “urgent, binding decision” banning Meta from using personal data for advertising across the European Union and European Economic Area (EEA). The ban affects the 258 million Europeans that use Facebook and Instagram each month.
Meta has responded that it has cooperated with regulators and that the EDPB decision “unjustifiably ignores that careful and robust regulatory process.” In response to the ban, Meta announced it will be rolling out ad-free subscriptions for Facebook and Instagram users in Europe and putting a “temporary” ban on ads to those under 18.
The move follows a request from Norway’s Data Protection Authority to the EDPB to apply Norway’s ban on Meta’s processing of personal data to the entire EEA. Norway has said it is likely that Meta’s plans for paid subscriptions are illegal, as GDPR requires that consent is not considered freely given if it is a condition of access to a service where the processing of personal data is not necessary.
The implications of this ruling are huge. First-party data is considered the gold standard of customer information by marketers, and the end of third-party cookies will mean it is the only reliable source for this data. The ban will mean a huge loss of revenue for those who sell it and those who rely on it to sell.
Originally reported by Martech: https://martech.org/eu-authorities-ban-meta-from-using-personal-data-for-advertising/
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